Violence at Indian High Commission in London: NIA identifies 15, look-outs next

While the NIA has identified 15 people, the next challenge would be to persuade the UK government to take steps against them, as there is no law similar to India’s UAPA (under which the NIA had registered an FIR in the case) in the UK that allows for action against protesters.

More than two months after releasing photos of 45 people who were allegedly involved in the violence at the Indian High Commission in London during a protest on March 19, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has identified 15 of them and is preparing to send their details to the immigration department to issue Look Out Circular (LOC) against them.

In a related development, the NIA has also identified four Khalistan supporters, who allegedly targeted the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on July 2. Another NIA team is set to visit Canada next month, as part of its investigation into the Khalistani attack on the Indian High Commission there.

While the NIA has identified 15 people, the next challenge would be to persuade the UK government to take steps against them, as there is no law similar to India’s UAPA (under which the NIA had registered an FIR in the case) in the UK that allows for action against protesters.

In April, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had directed the NIA to file a fresh case in connection with the London protests after preliminary investigation pointed to a terror link involving Pakistan’s ISI. The ministry had also directed Delhi Police, which had registered an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, to hand over the probe to the NIA.

In May, an NIA team Visited the UK and collected evidence.  On return to India, they released five videos of the incident, asking the general public to help identify the suspects who tried to vandalise the High Commission. The agency received more than 500 calls in response, sources said.

A source in the MHA told The Indian Express that the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) also helped the NIA probe team to identify the suspects. “With the help of crowdsourcing of information and other agencies, the NIA has identified 15 attackers and after identifying them, they are in process to issue a LOC against them soon,” an official said.

In the FIR, complainant Kiran Kumar Vasant Bhosale, assistant personnel and welfare officer at the High Commission, mentioned names of three persons – Avtar Singh alias Khanda, Gurcharan Singh and Jasvir Singh. “Khanda died in Birmingham in June and the NIA is in touch with the concerned department to get his death certificate for their case file,” an official said.

During its investigation, the NIA questioned Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh and nine of his associates in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail in connection with the UK incident after it was found that they were in touch with Khanda, who instigated the protesters by shouting anti-India and pro-Khalistan slogans.

On August 1, raids were conducted at multiple places by the NIA in Punjab and Haryana after identifying some of the attackers. The raids led to seizure of digital data containing information related to the suspects, an NIA official said.

Meanwhile, in connection with the protest at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, an NIA team visited the US last month where they recorded the statements of security personnel along with senior officials of the Indian Consulate. They also collected evidence such as CCTV footage and shattered glass windows. “We are scanning the CCTV footage and trying to identify more attackers. We are also seeking help from the Bureau of Civil Aviation,” said an official.

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Credit: THE INDAN EXPRESS