PM Modi for early extradition of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi; curbs on Khalistanis

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, April 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pressed his UK counterpart Boris Johnson for quick action on economic offenders and Khalistani activists sheltered in his country, said Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla after delegation-level talks between the two leaders.

Asked about the long-pending extradition from the UK of Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, as well as the issue of Khalistani separatists, Shringla said South Block had been pursuing this issue for some time. “The economic fugitive matter did come up. We conveyed that this was high priority. The economic offenders should be expeditiously extradited. PM Johnson assured that he will review the matter,’’ he said.

Johnson was also “very sensitive’’ to Indian concerns with regards to Khalistani activists and said he would have a close look at that. “There is zero tolerance for such issues assured Johnson,’’ said the Foreign Secretary.

However, this assurance has been made earlier when PMs Modi and Johnson had met in Glasgow in November last year. This was just after the police was deployed outside the Indian High Commission in London late last year after near-violent demonstrations took place in its vicinity. Then-UK High Commissioner Ruchi Ghanshyam had met British Home Secretary Priti Patel to convey India’s security and safety concerns in this regard.

The two leaders had also asked their National Security Advisers (NSAs) to meet in London to sort out irritants relating to aggressive Khalistani activists and the long-pending extradition of Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

“PM Johnson, I think agrees fully that some of these groups need to be reined in and that clearly steps have to be taken to see how such activity which under no means is democratic, or constitutional should be or could be used to address these recent incidents,’’ Shringla had then said.