The incident involving the Indian High Commissioner to the UK being refused entry into a Gurdwara in Scotland by a group of Khalistani radicals has triggered a massive outcry on social media.
The incident took place outside the Glasgow Gurdwara on Albert Drive on Friday, where Indian envoy Vikram Doraiswami had been invited by the Gurdwara committee to hold a meeting and participate in the langar (the gurdwara's communal kitchen).
In a video found online, Khalistani supporters can be seen telling him that he was not welcome and asking him to leave.
They also gathered near the car of the Indian diplomat and tried to break in but were not able to as it was locked from inside.
The incident has sparked a social media uproar, as netizens demand strict action against the accused.
"This is very sad. These khalistani are not true Sikhs as the Gurudwara is open for everyone irrespective of their caste or creed. These were the teachings of Gurunanak devji. Politics should not be involved in this," one user wrote.
"If majority does not speak and these minority khalistani in sikh community controls the gurudwara.. who is to be blamed," another commented.
Gurcharan Singh Grewal, head of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), an organisation in India responsible for managing gurdwaras in the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh, told Indian media that a group of people from the Sikh community were not happy with what had happened to Jagtar Singh Johal and Avtar Singh Khanda.
Johal, an online activist based in the UK, is currently detained in Delhi's Tihar Jail due to his alleged participation in targeted killings and his connections to the radical group Khalistan.
Avtar Singh Khanda, a UK-based radical leader with alleged links to the Khalistan movement, died on 15 June. While he reportedly died of blood cancer, his supporters claimed he died of poisoning.
According to Grewal, the members of the Gurudwara Committee strongly condemn the increasing frequency of such incidents as they have a detrimental impact on the global reputation of the Sikh community.
"There is no restriction on entering any Gurudwara. But I don't know what their reasons were. To avoid any tensions created because of his (Vikram Doraiswami) visit, they must have stopped him..."
A group of approximately 50 individuals attacked the High Commission of India in March of this year. These individuals have been accused of committing a range of crimes, including criminal trespass, disrespecting the Indian National flag, damaging public property, and causing harm to officials of the High Commission.
In light of this incident, the UK government has taken decisive action against the accused, implementing stringent measures to ensure the safety and security of the Indian High Commission in London and its dedicated staff.
A heated diplomatic row erupted between India and Canada when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being responsible for the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a known Khalistani extremist living in Canada.
India vehemently rejected these allegations, labelling them as 'absurd' and 'motivated'.
India's Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, has called upon the global community to not turn a blind eye to these incidents and emphasized the crucial importance of shedding light on the mounting violence in Canada.
India also suspended its visa services in Canada and issued an advisory to its citizens and travellers to exercise extreme caution due to increasing anti-India activities and hate crimes in the country.