Two arrests as India’s high commission building vandalised during protest

London mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned the vandalism of India’s high commission building during a protest which saw two people arrested.

Hundreds of people staged a demonstration outside the High Commission of India in London on Tuesday to protest against the security lock-down of the Kashmir state.

A photograph posted on Twitter by the high commission shows its building’s windows covered with eggs, while protesters stand in the background.

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

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the arrests were “linked” to the protests at the high commission.

The High Commission of India said on Twitter: “Another violent protest outside the Indian High Commission in London today, 3 September 2019. Damage caused to the premises.”

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.”

On August 5, India’s Hindu nationalist government agreed to downgrade the Muslim-majority region’s autonomy. It then launched a security lock-down and news blackout in the state.