Two arrested after India's high commission building in London vandalised during protest against Kashmir lockdown

Demonstrators scuffle with police during an earlier protest outside the Indian High Commission in London
REUTERS
Rebecca Speare-Cole4 September 2019
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Two people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after India's high commission building was vandalised during a protest in London.

Hundreds of people rallied outside the Indian High Commission to condemn the country's security lock-down of the state Kashmir.

Windows were cracked after eggs were thrown at the building on Tuesday in what the Mayor of London called "unacceptable behaviour".

Inam Ul Haq, 50, of Birmingham, who helped organise the demonstration, said protesters were demanding for the Indian government to lift the curfew imposed on the Kashmir state.

He claimed: "People have been locked in prison, they have no access to the internet and the media has been shut down."

It follows sporadic protests in Kashmir after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the withdrawal of special rights for the Himalayan region on August 5.

The Indian government flooded the Kashmir valley with troops, introduced movement restrictions and cut off most communication to withdraw the special status, which gave the state more autonomy than any other in India.

In London, the High Commission of India posted a photo of the damage on Twitter, adding: "Another violent protest outside the Indian High Commission in London today, 3 September 2019. Damage caused to the premises."

Responding to the tweet, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "I utterly condemn this unacceptable behaviour and have raised this incident with @metpoliceuk to take action."

A Metropolitan Police spokesman also said the two arrests were "linked" to the protests at the high commission.

They confirmed that two people were arrested at 4pm on Tuesday for criminal damage.

Protesters also scuffled with police and Modi supporters outside the Indian High Commission in London earlier this month.

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