• May 14, 2026

P Kumaran Assumes Charge as India’s High Commissioner-Designate to UK

P Kumaran Assumes Charge as India’s High Commissioner-Designate to UK

LONDON May 14: Senior diplomat P Kumaran on Wednesday assumed charge as India’s High Commissioner-designate to the UK. A 1992-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Kumaran most recently served as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). He succeeds Vikram Doraiswami, who has now taken over as India’s Ambassador to China.

Welcoming him, the High Commission of India in London said in a social media post, “The team at India House in London warmly welcomes High Commissioner-designate P Kumaran on assuming charge today. We look forward to working under his leadership and guidance to further strengthen the India-UK partnership.”

Kumaran was received on arrival by Deputy High Commissioner Kartik Pande and Gordon Wetherell CMG, Special Representative of UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

Fluent in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Arabic, Kumaran has previously served as India’s Ambassador to Qatar and High Commissioner to Singapore.

His tenure in the UK will formally begin after he presents his credentials to King Charles III in a ceremony expected in the coming weeks. As part of the long-standing diplomatic tradition, the ceremony involves the presentation of a Letter of Commission from President Droupadi Murmu requesting the British monarch to grant official recognition to India’s new High Commissioner.

Earlier in the day, Kumaran presented copies of his credentials to Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps Scott Furssedonn-Wood, formally assuming his responsibilities as India’s High Commissioner to the UK.

Following the formal assumption of office, High Commissioner P Kumaran paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament Square and Tavistock Square, and to Dr B.R. Ambedkar at Ambedkar House in London. The tributes honoured the Father of the Nation and the principal architect of the Indian Constitution, whose ideals of justice, equality, and human dignity continue to guide India’s development journey.