No criminality established: Scotland Police on Indian envoy’s heckling at gurdwara

The Scotland Police on Tuesday said that “no criminality” was established during its probe into Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami being denied entry to a gurdwara and heckled at in Scotland’s Glasgow on September 29.

A Scotland Police spokesperson said: “Following extensive enquiries into a report of a disturbance in the Albert Drive area of Glasgow on Friday, 29 September, 2023, no criminality has been established.”

Last week, Vikram Doraiswami was stopped by a group of radical British Sikh activists, who told him he was “not welcome”. This incident took place amid a diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The next day, India had reported the incident to the British government, demanding strict action against the culprits. In a statement on Saturday, the High Commission of India in London said that three people from outside Scotland “deliberately disrupted” the envoy’s visit.

Giving out details on the incident, a pro-Khalistan Sikh activist said that some of them found out that Doraiswami had a meeting planned with the gurdwara committee of the Glasgow Gurdwara on Albert Drive.

“A few people turned up and told him he was not welcome. There was a slight confrontation,” the activist said.

“I don’t think the gurdwara committee is too happy about what happened. But Indian officials are not welcome in any gurdwara in the UK,” he claimed.

“We are fed up with the UK-India collusion. The recent tensions since Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing have led to British Sikhs being targeted. This is to do with Avtar Singh Khanda and Jagtar Singh Johal too,” he said.

Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib Sikh Sabha, where the Indian envoy was denied entry, had released a statement condemning the act.

“Glasgow Gurdwara strongly condemns such disorderly behaviour to disrupt the peaceful proceedings of a Sikh place of worship,” the statement read.

Describing events of September 29, the gurdwara said that some unknown individuals from outside the Glasgow area attempted to disrupt Dorwaiswami’s visit.

“After the departure of the visitors, these unruly individuals continued to disturb the Gurdwara congregation. Police Scotland was in attendance thereafter and have taken cognizance of the matter,” the gurdwara said.