This story is from January 17, 2020

Up to 5,000 protesters are expected to protest outside the Indian mission on Republic Day.

LONDON: Indian diplomats and British Indians fear violence and damage to the Indian high commission building in London when up to 5,000 protesters are expected to protest outside it on Republic Day.

The so-called “Rise for Kashmir” protest will take place outside the Indian high commission on January 26 from 1 pm to 3pm.

Indian diplomatic sources in London told TOI: “We are worried. We have asked the UK authorities to relocate it and they said they will take a call closer to the protest day. They are saying the numbers will be less than the August 15th and 3rd September protests and less than 1,000, but we are not so sure.”

“Things seem to be heating up. The protesters are paid and get food for attending. There have been meetings at which all the representatives of Pakistan’s political parties — whether that is the PPP or the Pakistan Muslim League — all the factions have been present in conversations about these protests. All the destabilising institutions in the Pakistan establishment are instigating these extremist organisations,” the sources said.

Special Assistant to the PM for Overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari had come to London to speak at the August 15 protest, the source pointed out. “A senior figure of government of a third country protesting about another country in the UK seriously undermines the privileges of senior government functionaries,” an Indian diplomat added.

TOI has seen a WhatsApp flyer for the protest by Sikhs for Justice that says they plan to “burn the Indian Constitution” on the day.

Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK, Sikhs for Justice (banned in India) and the World Sikh Parliament are the organisers, according to Fahim Kayani, president of Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK. He denied protesters were paid or that Pakistan had any involvement. “This is a protest by British Kashmiris and Sikhs without the involvement of any political parties. There will not be any violence and we are expecting 2,000 to 3,000 people,” he said, adding the violence last time had been by “rogue elements”. He said 40 coaches had been booked from the Midlands.

But Overseas Friends of BJP UK president Kuldeep Singh Kuldeep told TOI that Sikhs were coming from Canada, France and Germany to attend. “I am told there will be 500 coaches and 5,000 people. We are worried they are going to create trouble outside the high commission and damage the building. There is a video of Khalistanis calling on Sikhs to burn the Indian Constitution. We are not doing any counter-protest but we are in contact with the police, mayor and home office to see if it can relocated.”

TOI has seen emails sent from British Indians to the Metropolitan police and London mayor Sadiq Khan expressing concerns about the security of the mission building and asking for the protest to be moved.

Zubeda Khan, who is of PoK origin and runs a women’s organisation called Daughters of Kashmir in Birmingham which is helping organise the protest, told TOI that 10 to 15 coaches were being sent from the West Midlands. “People in the community organise the coaches and everyone contributes £10 and then different people bring food which we share. These are just ordinary people concerned about what is happening in Kashmir and the CAA. It is not set up by anyone,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The power to ban marches lies with the Home Secretary. The Mayor was deeply upset about the previous violence, aggression and hostility, and condemned these actions in the strongest possible terms. Anyone who acts unlawfully will be accountable to the police.”

