Indian flag taken down in UK: Shashi Tharoor pulls up British Police

A day after the Indian tricolor was removed from the Indian High Commission in London by Khalistan sympathizers protesting a police crackdown on separatist Amritpal Singh, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday said it was a "big insult" and reprimanded British police for allowing it, this "nonsense" happened.

"It's absolutely shocking that this could happen. The real problem is not inside the High Commission but in the outdoor areas which are the responsibility of the local authorities, in this case the British authorities,” Tharoor said, as per reports. "If the British police are completely derelict in their duty and allow this nonsense to happen, it is a great insult that we cannot tolerate," he added.

India summoned Britain's top diplomat in New Delhi late on Sunday to express strong protest against the actions taken by separatist and extremist elements against the Indian High Commissioner in London earlier in the day.

“An explanation was demanded for the complete absence of British security which allowed these elements to enter the premises of the High Commission. In this regard, she was reminded of the UK Government's fundamental obligations under the Vienna Convention,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

"India finds the UK government's indifference to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK unacceptable," the statement added.

The MEA went on to say that the UK government is expected to "take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute" each of those involved in today's incident and implement strict measures to prevent such incidents from happening again. British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis also condemned the "disgraceful acts" against the people and buildings of the Indian High Commission in London as "totally unacceptable".

"I condemn today's disgraceful actions against the people and premises of @HCI_London - totally unacceptable," he tweeted.