India condemns security breach by protester during foreign minister's UK visit

India condemned on Thursday a security breach during its foreign minister's visit to London when a protester broke through a police cordon, stood in front of the minister's car and tore the Indian flag before being taken away.

India's foreign ministry said it expects Britain to live up to its diplomatic obligations and called the protesters a "small group of separatists and extremists".

Britain said it "strongly condemned" the incident.

A small group of protesters shouting slogans and waving flags of a Sikh separatist movement called Khalistan had gathered outside think tank Chatham House in London on Wednesday where foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was speaking.

Videos posted to social media showed a member from the group breaking away from the police cordon as Jaishankar was leaving the venue, and taken away by police officers within seconds.

Jaishankar is on a six-day trip to Britain and Ireland.

"We deplore the misuse of democratic freedoms by such elements. We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations," Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry, said in a statement.

Britain said it upheld the right to peaceful protest but any attempts to intimidate, threaten or disrupt public events were "completely unacceptable".

"We remain fully committed to ensuring the security of all our diplomatic visitors, in line with our international obligations," a spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said.

Police said no arrests had been made.

"(The protester) was quickly intercepted by officers and moved out of the way. He did not get close to the minister who was able to leave the area without further incident," a spokesperson for London's Metropolitan Police said.

The Khalistan movement advocates a separate Sikh homeland carved out of Hindu-majority India and is considered a security threat by the Indian government. It has been a flashpoint in an increasingly tense relationship between Canada and India.

In April 2023, India asked Britain for increased monitoring of UK-based Khalistan supporters after protesters detached the Indian flag from the diplomatic mission's building.