Day on, Glasgow gurdwara says open to all

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New Delhi, October 1

The management of the gurdwara in Glasgow, Scotland, where two unruly pro-Khalistan elements had blocked the visit of Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami, has strongly condemned the “disorderly behaviour” and said the local police are investigating the matter.

Junior UK Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan expressed concern over the confrontation with Doraiswami and said the safety and security of foreign diplomats are of “utmost importance” and “our places of worship” in the UK must be open to all.

In a statement issued on Saturday night, the Glasgow Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib Sikh Sabha said the “unknown” and “unruly” individuals disturbed peace at a place of worship and attempted to disrupt the personal visit of the envoy facilitated by a member of the Scottish Parliament. The Indian High Commission has already said it has informed the UK Foreign Office and Metropolitan Police of the “disgraceful incident” that took place on Friday.

“Certain unknown individuals from outside the Glasgow area attempted to disrupt the visit, following which the visiting party decided to leave the premises. After the departure of the visitors, these unruly individuals continued to disturb the congregation. Police Scotland were in attendance thereafter and have taken cognisance of the matter. Glasgow Gurdwara strongly condemns such disorderly behaviour to disrupt the peaceful proceedings of a Sikh place of worship. The gurdwara is open to people from all communities and backgrounds, and we welcome everyone openly as per our principles of faith,” it said.

The Indian High Commission has said three individuals from areas outside Scotland had disrupted the planned interaction to discuss community and consular issues. One of them had tried to “violently force open the High Commissioner’s car door”.

Envoys’ safety of utmost importance: UK

• UK junior minister says safety and security of foreign diplomats are of ‘utmost importance’ and ‘our places of worship’ must be open to all
• Gurdwara condemns ‘disorderly’ behaviour by ‘unruly’ individuals to disturb peace and attempt to disrupt envoy’s visit facilitated by a Scottish MP