On the day of Gandhi Jayanti, Khalistani protestors charged outside the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom (London). They were carrying the Indian flag and a bottle of ‘cow’s urine’ in one hand. However, recent images of Satyam Surana have gone viral on social media who was spotted while saving the tricolor.
Khalistani Protest at IHC: Anti-India Actions Escalate:
Many Khalistani supporters started protesting outside the IHC of India, raising slogans and placards that were anti-Indian. Many metropolitan officers and police vehicles patrolled the area for around two hours, while the group of protestors gave speeches to motivate the Khalistanis. One of the protestors burned the Indian flag while the leader of Dal Khalsa Uk, Gurcharan Singh spilled cow urine on the flag. This was a direct attack on both Indian patriotism and Hinduism.
This protest occurred after the scheduled meeting of Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and the Gurudwara Committee. The officials left the building after several threats and abuses by the Khalistanis to avoid any potential violence. IHC has reported the incident to the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) and the police.
Satyam Surana stood up for the flag:
Satyam Surana is an Indian, currently studying at the London School of Economics. His picture went viral when Colin Bloom, a former UK government advisor posted it on his X (former Twitter) handle. Satyam was seen picking up the flag from the road which was drenched with cow urine. He said to The Hindu that he could not stand the demeaning of the Indian flag, so he went to the police officer who had stepped on it and then picked it up.
While talking to NDTV World, Satyam targeted the Indians who pose to be anti-Indian in foreign countries just to appear ‘cool’. They even talk negatively about their country to adjust themselves better among the foreigners who hate India.
The reason behind the Protest:
We have already witnessed a great deal of geopolitics at the international level between India and Canada. This diplomatic crisis and the protest in London are all related to the Khalistani movements. The protestors stated that the agitation was due to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani Terrorist. The death of the same person started a series of unwanted political unrest between the said two countries.
Khalistani terrorist killed:
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the most wanted in India due to his continuous involvement in terror activities. After a Hindu priest was attacked in 2021, NIA (National Investigation Agency) declared a reward of 1 million (10 lakhs in Indian rupees) for any information that could lead to the arrest of Nijjar. He was found dead on 18 June outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara Sahib (In Surrey, Canada) with bullet wounds. He was shot inside his car which was in the parking lot of the gurudwara, by two unidentified attackers.
India-Canada diplomatic crisis:
After Nijjar’s death, Justin Trudeau (PM of Canada) gave a statement in the Canadian parliament about how India can be responsible for the death of Hardeep Singh which had created so much unrest among Khalistani supporters. In reply to this, the Indian government blamed the Canadian government for providing a “safe haven” for the terror groups.
These to-and-fro accusations have resulted in weakening ties between the 2 countries. India has called to reduce the number of Canadian diplomats from our country to make the numbers even and surprisingly, Canada did remove its 41 diplomats and transported them to other countries.
Khalistan: A Quick Overview from Past to Present
A brief history behind the Khalistan movement started right after the India-Pakistan partition. Sikhs, who are a majority in Punjab, but a minority population in India fear that they might lose their identity or become impure. So they started demanding a separate land named ‘Khalistan’ which means ‘land of the pure’ for the Sikh Community. Over the years, many other incidents fueled the movement like ‘Operation Bluestar’, the division of Punjab into 2 states i.e. Haryana, the mass killing of Sikhs in November 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the recent arrest of Amritpal Singh, etc.
