Indian External Affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday (March 5) faced a security scare in London, as a pro-Khalistani man rushed towards his car, tearing India's national flag in a show of protest.

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The incident happened as Jaishankar left after participating in an exclusive event hosted by Chatham House in collaboration with the High Commission of India.

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What happened?

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Videos show pro-Khalistani protesters heckling the Indian foreign minister as he departed from Chatham House following an event. 

One of the videos captures the moment as the heckler ran in front of Jaishankar's car holding an Indian flag before proceeding to tear it into two pieces while yelling "Khalistan Zindabad". 

Watch video here:

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Local police can be seen rushing to detain the Khalistani separatist.

As per independent news outlet Media Bezirgan, the man was briefly detained before being released.

Jaishankar, already seated in his vehicle, was not harmed in the incident.

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Why was Jaishankar in London?

EAM Dr S Jaishankar is currently on a visit to the United Kingdom. During the visit, he held discussions with the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and several other senior leaders.

On Tuesday, following his meeting with Home Secretary Cooper, Jaishankar on X noted that they discussed areas such as the flow of talent and joint efforts between India and the UK to tackle "trafficking and extremism."

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"A good meeting with Home Secretary @YvetteCooperMP today in London. We discussed the flow of talent, people to people exchanges, and joint efforts in tackling trafficking and extremism," he wrote.

His visit comes as incidents of Khalistani extremism are on the rise in the UK. Earlier this year, in January, a group of pro-Khalistan extremists gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London to stage a protest, reported ANI news agency. The separatists also stormed a cinema in London's Harrow in an attempt to stop the screening of the Bollywood movie Emergency, which stars Kangana Ranaut.

(With inputs from agencies)