London: The British foreign office has apologised to the Indian government for the 'national flag-burning incident', which took place at London's Parliament Square on Wednesday while India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to the country for a bilateral meet with his British counterpart Theresa May as well as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet.

A group of Pakistan backed pro-Khalistani and Kashmiri protesters, in the presence of London Metropolitan Police, pulled down the tricolor from a pole at London's Parliament Square and replaced it with a flag representing PoK and Khalistan. The incident took place when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the Indian community at Westminster yesterday.

"While people have the right to hold peaceful protests, we are disappointed with the action taken by a small minority in Parliament Square and contacted High Commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha as soon as we were made aware," according to Foreign and Commonwealth Office's statement, reported by asianlite.com.

Pro-Khalistan protestors from the Sikh Federation UK and members of the so-called “Minorities Against Modi” group, led by Pakistani-origin peer Nazir Ahmed, were among nearly 500 protesters who gathered in Parliament Square.

There were various groups that  were protesting against PM Modi including the recent silence of the Indian PM on the Kathua and Unnao rape cases. Posters protesting crimes against minorities and Dalits in India too were being waved. Trucks sporting anti-Modi slogans were parked around the city and were seen outside the Parliament square.

The web portal also reported that the UK officials have arranged for a replacement flag to be put up at the Parliament Square. The foreign office also mentioned that Prime Minister Modi's visit "has strengthened our relationship with India and we look forward to working even more closely together on a number of important areas."

While these protests were on, Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman asked Prime Minister Theresay May to condemn the action of the protestors, “Will my right hon. friend take the opportunity to condemn absolutely the mobile billboards that are going around London attacking our good friend Prime Minister Modi, and will she congratulate and thank the 1.7 million members of the Indian diaspora on their contribution to the work of this country?” May did not directly address the anti-Modi billboards, but said: “India is indeed a good friend of the UK, and the Indian diaspora here in the UK plays an enormous role and makes an enormous contribution to our society and our economy.” She added, “When I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, we discussed how we can encourage and increase the links and development between our two countries.”

The Indian Journalist Association has also taken note of the incident and called for a strong action against the wrongdoers.(With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2018 11:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).