- Monday, March 03, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
British opposition parliamentarian Navendu Mishra has been repeatedly raising the issue of the attack on the Indian high commission in London on March 19 and the vandalism that was carried out by pro-Khalistan protesters. On March 21, the Stockport MP wrote to the Indian high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, expressing solidarity over the attack.
The letter was signed by five Labour parliamentarians other than Mishra and two Labour members of the London Assembly who condemned the incident and welcomed the investigation launched by the Metropolitan Police. They also vowed to put pressure on the country’s Conservative government to ensure that all diplomatic missions in the country are protected.
On Tuesday (28), Mishra asked British home secretary Suella Braverman in a written question in the House of Commons about the assessment “she made of the implications of her policies of the vandalism and disorder” that took place outside the Indian mission and “what steps she is taking to ensure the safety and security of diplomatic missions”.
An answer to his question is due by April 17.
The Labour leader’s latest question to the home department came with reference to the reply he received on Friday (24) to the question he placed before the same on March 21. On that day, Mishra, 33, asked the home secretary whether she would “make an assessment of the adequacy of protection and security for diplomatic (a) staff, (b) families and (c) premises buildings in the UK”.
Minister of state for security Tom Tugendhat responded to Mishra saying, “The security and dignity of diplomatic missions in the UK, and their staff, is of utmost concern and His Majesty’s Government fully recognises our obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The right to gather lawfully and demonstrate a point of view is a basic democratic right. But rights to lawful protest do not extend to violent or threatening behaviour.
“Our protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. However, it is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on diplomatic security arrangements. To do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals and locations concerned.”
Mishra and other Labour leaders, who signed the letter they sent to the Indian high commissioner, accused the home department of failing to provide adequate protection to the Indian diplomatic premises.
“All diplomatic missions, diplomats, staff and families are protected under the Vienna Convention. The failure of the home office to fulfil this obligation must be addressed by the government urgently,” the letter read.
