Even as the Punjab police intensified their hunt for pro-Khalistan fugitive Amritpal Singh Sandhu and his organisation, pro-Khalistani protesters attacked the Indian High Commission in London and Indian consulate in San Francisco, with a diplomatic row building as Khalistani sympathisers in London pulled down the Tricolour at the High Commission.
The Indian foreign ministry summoned British deputy high commissioner Christina Scott late last evening to issue a formal written protest, demanding an explanation for "absence of security" at the high commission premises and said the UK government's "indifference" to Indian diplomats and personnel was "unacceptable".
The protests over the crackdown started last evening. Cellphone videos posted on social media showed protesters climbing the building and taking down the Indian flag.
A group of pro-Khalistani protesters today attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco as well, with local Indian community leaders condemning the violence and protesters' agenda. Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.
The pro-Khalistan leader’s uncle and driver have surrendered near Bullandpur Gurdwara in Shahkot area last night before the deputy inspector general of police (Border Range) Narendra Bhargav. The police have also recovered the Mercedes car in which they had escaped during an interception by the Punjab Police at Mehatpur Police station.
Amritpal leads ‘Waris Punjab De’, a radical organisation started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident in February last year. The state police have so far arrested 112 supporters of Amritpal. Internet services had also been suspended across the state during the crack down.
The pro-Khalistani preacher, however, escaped their dragnet after his cavalcade was intercepted in the Jalandhar district.
The police also shifted four of Amritpal's alleged aides in custody to a jail in far-off Assam's Dibrugarh. The men were identified as alleged fund raiser Daljit Singh Kalsi, Bhagwant Singh, Gurmeet Singh and ‘Pradhanmantri’ Bajeka.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has, however, asked the state government to respond tomorrow to a habeas corpus petition claiming that the preacher is already in illegal police custody and should be released.
The crackdown on Amritpal began on Saturday and came weeks after Amritpal and his supporters barged into the Ajnala police station near Amritsar, extracting an assurance that an arrested aide would be released.
