- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Satyam Surana, who studied at the London School of Economics, also told an Indian channel that the protests are to distract India from growing.
By: Shubham Ghosh
SATYAM Surana, the Indian student who tried to protect the Indian Tricolour during a protest staged by pro-Khalistan activists outside the Indian high commission in London on October 2 said he had never witnessed the Indian flag being demeaned the way it was and that his conscience pushed him to protect the flag.
A student at the London School of Economics, Surana said he picked up the flag after seeing it being disrespected and a woman police officer who stepped on it “intentionally”.
“I picked up the flag and I just moved away then,” PTI quoted him as saying.
“I had never seen the Indian flag being demeaned this way. My inner self, my mind, my conscience were shocked to see how this could happen. That’s what motivated, persuaded me to go forward and do what I did,” he said.
Khalistan protesters were cordoned off on either side of the street from the mission in the British capital on the day when the world was observing the 154th birth anniversary of Indian peace icon Mahatma Gandhi. It was then when a group of protesters breached the barricades and crossed over to the side of the mission with an Indian flag and a bottle that reportedly contained cow urine.
The protesters said they were demonstrating over the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader designated as a terrorist by India, in Canada in June. One of the protesters spoke against India and British prime minister Rishi Sunak standing in front of the mission and allegedly threw the flag on the ground.
Surana, who was at the scene, picked up the Indian flag from the ground and that reportedly irked some of the protesters. Officers of the Metropolitan Police took the Indian student to safety.
Satyam’s video, where he is seen picking up the Indian flag from the ground, went viral when former adviser to UK government Colin Bloom posted a video of the whole incident on his X handle.
It feels like there has been a noticeable and worrying increase in discriminatory anti-Hindu language and the use of vile tropes about Hindus coming from a small but vocal minority of these Pro Khalistan Extremists (PKEs). If the hateful language these thugs use against Hindus… pic.twitter.com/Qx9R7HTpFs
— Colin Bloom (@ColinBloom) October 3, 2023
“It feels like there has been a noticeable and worrying increase in discriminatory anti-Hindu language and the use of vile tropes about Hindus coming from a small but vocal minority of these Pro Khalistan Extremists (PKEs). If the hateful language these thugs use against Hindus was directed at any other community there would quite rightly be a huge outcry,” Bloom said, adding, “The overwhelming majority of Sikhs will be appalled by this. This aggressive minority is a blight on the rest of the wonderful Sikh community. Shame on them.”
Surana said he went to the protest site to see what was going on.
“I saw some people were going around with the national flag in their leg and there was a heavy amount of demeaning and insult that was intended towards the Indian national flag so that’s why I stayed back and was looking at the entire protest,” Surana added.
He said while his parents were worried about his safety, they were happy with his act of rescuing the national flag.
“All of my friends are very proud, super proud. I am telling them that I have just exercised my duty as an Indian citizen and I just did what my conscience has told me. I would never pull a leg back when I get to serve my nation or to protect its dignity,” he said.
The protest at the mission happened just days after the Indian high commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami was stopped from entering a gurdwara in Glasgow by some persons, all from outside Scotland.
Surana said that some Indians abroad have a tendency to be anti-India “just to appear cool”, reported India’s NDTV.
“It is a matter of worry to see attacks on Indians… India is on its way to becoming a superpower and one of the largest economies. These protests are to distract India from growing,” he was also quoted as saying by the channel.
“I saved the dignity of my country. But there are many instances when Indians go outside and become anti-India to be cool. They talk ill about India without any knowledge, just to show they are nice people among those who hate India,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
