(MENAFN) India has accused the UK of failing to fulfill its "basic obligations" to protect foreign diplomatic missions under the Vienna Convention. The accusation comes after a protester scaled the balcony of the Indian Embassy in London and attempted to replace the national flag with a separatist banner. The incident has prompted India’s Foreign Ministry to summon the deputy chief of the UK high commission, Christina Scott, to lodge a protest and demand explanations for the "complete absence of the British security" that allowed the protester to enter the High Commission premises.
In a statement, the Indian Foreign Ministry reminded Scott of the UK Government's basic obligations under the Vienna Convention and called the alleged "indifference" of the British authorities to the security of Indian diplomatic personnel "unacceptable." The incident occurred during a rally outside of India's High Commission in London on Sunday, where videos emerged on social media of protesters belonging to the Sikh faith fighting for the right to establish a sovereign Khalistan in the north Indian state of Punjab, bordering India's arch-rival and nuclear-armed neighbor, Pakistan.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of diplomatic missions and the ability of host countries to protect them. The Vienna Convention, which sets out the rules for diplomatic relations between states, requires host nations to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission. The incident has further strained relations between the two countries, with India demanding a full investigation into the matter and assurances that such an incident will not happen again in the future.
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