Pro-Khalistan Twitter accounts, including of Canadian lawmaker Jagmeet Singh, blocked in India
Mar 20, 2023
New Delhi [India], March 20 : Pro-Khalistan Twitter accounts have been withheld in India. The withheld accounts include the Twitter accounts of Canada's New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh. The Twitter accounts of Canadian poet Rupi Kaur, the voluntary organisation United Sikhs, and Canada-based activist Gurdeep Singh Sahota have also been blocked.
When anyone tries to access these Twitter accounts from India, it says they have been withheld in response to a legal demand.
The blocking of Jagmeet Singh's account is significant as he is known for his anti-India comments. The development comes at a time when there has been a rise in attacks by these Khalistani elements in foreign countries.
Khalistani supporters vandalised the Indian High Commission in London on Sunday. After vandalism in London, Khalistani supporters allegedly attacked Indian Consulate in San Francisco (SFO). Videos of supporters breaking the doors and barging into the office surfaced on social media.
Visuals shared online showed a huge mob brandishing Khalistan flags mounted on wooden poles, using it to smash glass doors and windows of the consulate building. They raised pro-Khalistan slogans as they broke through makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two Khalistani flags inside the premises.
India has launched a strong protest with the United Kingdom over the vandalisation incident at the Indian High Commission in London, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Monday.
Responding to queries during a media briefing on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit here, the Foreign Secretary said that the British Deputy High Commissioner was summoned on Sunday to convey India's concerns.
"With regard to the UK incident, we have already put out yesterday late evening India's response to it in which UK Deputy High Commissioner was summoned...demanding an explanation and asking the culprits and the perpetrators of what happened at London yesterday to be quickly arrested and prosecuted," the Foreign Secretary said.
"We launched a strong protest and also clearly indicated to the British authorities for the need for them to put up adequate security at the UK High Commission," he added.
On Sunday, the senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned to convey India's strong protest at the actions taken by separatist and anti-India elements against the Indian High Commission in London.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that explanation was demanded "for the complete absence" of British security that allowed these separatist and extremist elements to enter the High Commission premises.
"She was reminded in this regard of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention. India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK," the MEA statement said.
"It is expected that the British Government would take steps to identify, arrest and prosecute each one of those involved in the incident, and put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," it added.
