British MPs have come forward to support the Indian diaspora, campaigning for action against perpetrators behind the desecration of the Indian flag and attack on a tv journalist during anti-India protests at the Parliament Square last month. Around 22,000 people have signed a petition on change.org, initiated by Friends of India Society International (FISIUK) demanding, “an action against the culprits who brought down Indian flag and torn under the watchful eyes of British police.”
The diaspora are seeking justice from the UK government over an incident on 18th April, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the UK to participate in Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). On the fateful day, the Indian flag was taken down and ripped off by pro-Khalistani protesters in front of the Metropolitan Police at Parliament Square. They even climbed over Mahatma Gandhi's statue, wrapping it with Khalistani flag and intimidated Ms Loveena Tandon, an Indian journalist from Aaj Tak tv, who raised her voice against their actions.
Labour MP Virendra Sharma and Chairman of Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) hosted a meeting in the Parliament on Monday for members of the public and politicians, in order to discuss the Indian flag desecration incident. He was joined by Conservative MP Bob Blackman, Labour MP Seema Malhotra and Lord Ranbir Suri.
On last Thursday, E V Venugopal, a Supreme court advocate from India, criticising the British government's lenient approach to the incident told a press conference in London, “We have decided to take this to its logical end... This criminal activity should be curbed.”
Mr Venugopal thereafter wrote to the UK Prime Minister Theresa May as well as the High Commissioner of India to UK, His Excellency Y K Sinha, saying, “The desecration of the Indian flag- a symbol of India's pluralism- by the votaries of racist ideologies in the heart of London was a profound insult to all who believe in tolerance...It is clear that these purveyors will never limit their actions to non-violent protest. Their ideology invariably culminates in violence against the innocent. The failure of British government to condemn them and act against them sends the signal to India and to other nations that UK does not take the threat from violent ideologies known to promote terrorism seriously...We called on the Prime Minister of the UK to make a representation against terrorism on behalf of civil society activists in Britain and India, and urged her to take visible action against those who espouse radical views...” He handed over the letter from the diaspora to MP Bob Blackman outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, urging him to take up the matter in the Parliament, especially with Prime Minister May. He addressed his concerns to Blackman and said, “we want you to pilot our cause”.
He also warned that if the UK government did not take necessary actions within three weeks, they would consider approaching the International Criminal Court “to take cognisance of the agents of violent and radical ideologies that threaten the peace of nations and all of us."
Meeting in the Parliament
The meeting hosted by Mr Sharma in the House of Commons Committee Room, comprised of politicians, journalists, representatives of Indian organisations, members of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU) and the Indian diaspora, who had written to their respective MPs requesting justice over the desecration incident.
Indian-origin MP Virendra Sharma said, “We are very concerned by this incident, which involved damage to property and a violation of freedom of speech involving an Indian journalist. It is important that community groups take the lead on this and pursue this issue... This is a community matter rather than a parliamentary matter”. A Fellow Labour party MP Seema Malhotra had also joined in briefly, to express her concerns regarding the incident.
Conservative party MP Bob Blackman revealed that he might initiate a cross-party Early Day Motion (EDM) in the House of Commons to raise this issue in the Parliament. He said, “It is vital that all the physical evidence available is gathered together and lodged with the police in the form of a criminal complaint, including videos, photographs, and statements from witnesses”.
Lack of action against perpetrators and instigators
While evaluating the steps for justice, a recurring issue raised by the attendees was the lack of action on the crime scene by the Police. Sumeet Jalan, who was present at the Parliament Square when the desecration took place, said, “I immediately went to the police force team deployed just meters away from the square. I told them what had happened. The police man told me that there were too many people who wanted the flag down and they could cause trouble if they intervened. When I told him if there were 400 protestors who wanted the flag down, there were 4000 people (Indians) who would want to see it held up high, he asked me if I had a gang (of people) that I was threatening him with, it made me wonder if I was raising my concern for the right cause”.
While the Police was also criticised heavily by Mr Venugopal, none of the MPs or Peers present in the room addressed Lord Nazir's role behind this incident. It is widely believed that Pakistani-origin peer Lord Nazir Ahmed was behind bringing together the perpetrators (who are clearly identifiable from the captured videos), as part of the "Minorities Against Modi" group.
Devshi Chandegra, a member of the Labour party, wrote to his MP, Mike Gapes, seeking his reaction and support regarding the incident. Gapes' response allegedly stated that he saw no problem in “peaceful demonstrations” and was “proud” to belong to a democratic nation.
Taranpreet Singh Khanuja, a student of the University of Warwick, offered to help spread awareness among the Indian students regarding the violent nature of this incident and urge them to sign the petition, to get this issue debated in the Parliament. The MPs have called upon the Indian diaspora groups to unite over this issue and present all the documentary evidences to the Police to push the investigation forward.
Reportedly, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued an apology to the High Commission of India, London, in which they expressed "disappointment" over the incident but failed to address the key incidents of flag desecration and a physical and verbal abuse of an Indian-origin broadcast journalist. The journalist herself was presented at the meeting on Monday and informed that her case is registered with the Met police as a 'hate crime'. A Metropolitan Police statement regarding this reads, “We received an allegation of assault on 19 April relating to an incident in Parliament Square on 18 April. No arrests. Enquiries continue.”
