LONDON: India’s newly appointed high commissioner to Britain Kuldip Nayar was jostled by a group of Sikh youth during his visit to a South-hall gurdwara here on Sunday evening, PTI reports.
Nayar and his wife, who had gone to the Havlock Road gurdwara in the Indian dominated locality of South-hall to pay their obeisance to ‘Guru Granth Saheb” were greeted by a hostile group of Sikhs raising pro-Khalistan slogans, according to an eye witness account.
Ignoring the protests, the high commissioner and Mrs. Nayar went ahead to offer their prayers, but were jostled by the determined youth as they returned towards the gurdwara gate, the eye witnesses said.
Nayar’s British security guard, who is said to have advised the high commissioner against visiting the gurdwara says adequate security, apparently had a tough time in handling the situation.
The high commissioner and his wife were unhurt and returned home safely, according to the high commission sources.
According to some South-hall residents, tension had been brewing at the Havlock Road gurdwara for quite some time over the control of its management and there was a feeling among one faction that the Indian high commission was behind the attempts by the rival faction to “capture” it.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 30, 1990
