The Glasgow Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib has strongly condemned the incident wherein the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Dorwaiswami, was stopped from entering the gurdwara by pro-Khalistan extremists.
Calling the incident "disorderly behaviour", the Gurdwara, situated at Albert Drive in Scottish city of Glasgow, released a statement on X that read that the worship place was "open to people from all communities and backgrounds." "An incident occurred on 29 September 2023 at Glasgow Gurdwara where the Indian High Commissioner was on a personal visit, facilitated by a member of the Scottish Parliament. Certain unknown individuals from outside the Glasgow area attempted to disrupt this visit, following which the visiting party decided to leave the premises," the statement read.
It further added that the "unruly individuals" continued to disturb the congregation, adding that the Scotland Police has taken cognizance 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 added.
The Gurdwara's statement comes as a British minister too expressed her concern at the incident. "The safety and security of foreign diplomats is of utmost importance and our places of worship in the UK must be open to all," junior foreign office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said in a post on social media.
The incident happened on Friday when Doraiswami and another senior official had been due to meet community leaders at a Sikh gurdwara in Glasgow. Three protesters - whom it described as "non-local extremist elements" - threatened its diplomats and one tried to open the door of Doraiswami's car, prompting the officials to abandon the visit. As they hurled threats and abuses, the High Commissioner and Consul General of India decided to leave the premises to avert any further altercation.
No arrests have been made yet. The High Commission of India has reported this disgraceful incident to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Metropolitan Police, the statement added.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) too has condemned the incident, stating that the envoy should not have been stopped from entering the gurdwara.