Satyam Surana was seen on camera picking up the national flag during a protest by Khalistanis
London/New Delhi:
An Indian student who picked up the national flag that fell to the ground during a protest by Khalistanis in London has condemned the tendency of some Indians abroad to be anti-India “just to look cool”.
Satyam Surana, a student of the London School of Economics, was seen on camera picking up the national flag during a protest by Khalistanis in front of the Indian High Commission in London on Monday.
“It is worrying to see attacks on Indians… India is on its way to becoming a superpower and one of the largest economies. These protests are meant to distract India from growth,” Surana told NDTV today.
“I saved the dignity of my country. But there are many cases where Indians go out and become anti-India to be cool. They talk bad about India without any knowledge just to show that they are nice people among those who hate India.” he added.
Mr Surana asked Indians to keep an eye on “such elements”.
“It is up to us to monitor these elements. It is important to respond to them intellectually, not physically,” he said.
Khalistani protesters were lined up on both sides of the street against the Indian High Commission in London on Monday. However, a group of protesters broke through the barricades and crossed to the side of the building carrying an Indian flag and a bottle of what they called ‘cow urine’.
Khalistani supporters claimed they were protesting the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
Satyam’s video of him picking up the national flag from the ground went viral when former adviser to the British government Colin Bloom posted a video on X, formerly Twitter.
The Indian High Commission said it had reported the incident to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Metropolitan Police.
It said several community organizations, including the organizers, have formally deplored the incident and urged authorities to take action against the perpetrators.
