A five-member team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) departed for London on May 23 to conduct an inquiry into the event, which transpired two months prior and included the national flag at the Indian high commission in London being pulled down during a demonstration by pro-Khalistan elements. The development took place a day after meeting with British intelligence personnel in Delhi.
The NIA team is conducting an investigation on the United Kingdom’s soil for the first time. The NIA team has also carried a list of Khalistani links in the city which they may share with Scotland Yard.
Senior representatives from Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) and the NIA reportedly met with British intelligence officers on Monday to discuss anti-India actions in the UK, including pro-Khalistan radicalism.
At the fifth India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue (HAD), which was held in Delhi on April 12, India expressed its worries over the pro-Khalistan forces’ abuse of the UK’s asylum status to support and encourage terrorist actions in India. Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the Union Home Secretary of India, and Matthew Rycroft, the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office, each, headed their respective delegations. Several top officials from both countries attended the meeting.
“Following the India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue last month, intelligence agency officials of the UK and India decided to meet and discuss the pro-Khalistan elements. The R&AW officials raised several issues, including increased monitoring of UK-based pro-Khalistan extremists. They also discussed the breach of security of the Indian High Commission and also about Avtar Singh, alias Khanda,” a source informed.
The Union Home Ministry ordered the NIA to launch a new case last month in relation to the assault and ordered Delhi Police, which had filed an FIR under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), to turn over the investigation to the former.
An officer said that the decision was reached after preliminary research indicated that Pakistan’s ISI was involved in a terror connection. A source revealed, “On Tuesday, an NIA team left for London. The team will seize CCTV footage and examine the crime scene. They will also meet senior officials to record their statement.”
The complainant, assistant personnel and welfare officer at the High Commission Kiran Kumar Vasant Bhosale, stated in the First Information Report (FIR) that on 19 March afternoon, as he was passing through the routine security check when he noticed a group of between 50 and 60 Khalistan protesters in front of the building.
“They were carrying yellow flags used by Khalistani separatists. I immediately informed the Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) through an SOS call about the emerging situation,” the FIR read.
“I saw one Avtar Singh, alias Khanda, and one Gurcharan Singh (both) frequently seen near the High Commission. They were among the leaders of the violent mob and were instigating it by shouting anti-India and pro-Khalistan slogans,” he added.
Notably, the centre amended the NIA Act in August 2019, empowering the agency to investigate terror activities against Indians and Indian interests abroad apart from cyber crimes and human trafficking.
On March 19, a group of demonstrators brandishing pro-Khalistani signs and waving Khalistan’s yellow and black flag grabbed a Tricolour atop the Indian High Commission in London. Videos of the violent crowd showed them waving the Khalistan flag and demanding that the Waris Punjab De chief and extremist Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh be freed.
One of them is even filmed scaling a balcony and amid applause from the other individuals, removing the Indian flag from a pole in front of the high commission. However, police officers arrived on the spot and prevented the protestors from approaching the entrance of the Indian High Commission.
An employee of the High Commission had said that the one who attempted to knock down the Tricolour assaulted and wounded him, and that the throng outside had done extensive damage to the mission’s property.
The footage indicated that the Khalistanis shouted obscenities towards Indian authorities inside the building.
Based on the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)’s directives, the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Radicalization unit filed an FIR and started its inquiry.