The Indian consulate in San Francisco was attacked by Khalistan supporters who attempted to set fire to the diplomatic facilities, the second such incident in as many months, bringing harsh condemnation from the US government, which called it a “criminal offense.”
A video shared on July 2 by Khalistan supporters showed arson at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
The movie, with the words “violence begets violence” plastered over it, also featured news clippings about the death of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was born in Canada.
Nijjar, one of India’s most wanted terrorists with a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada last month.
In a tweet on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “The United States strongly condemns the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday.”
Vandalism or violence against diplomatic installations or foreign diplomats is a crime in the United States.
In a tweet, Diya TV, a South Asian broadcast TV network in the United States, stated that “a fire was set early Sunday morning between 1:30-2:30 am in the San Francisco Indian Consulate.”
“The fire was quickly extinguished by the San Francisco Department, the damage was minimal, and no staffers were injured.” Local, state, and federal authorities have all been alerted,” the statement read.
This is the second time in a few months that Khalistani supporters have attacked the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
Pro-Khalistan demonstrators stormed and vandalized the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on March 19. Protesters shouting pro-Khalistan slogans tore down improvised security barriers erected by local police and placed two so-called Khalistani flags within the Consulate grounds. These flags were quickly removed by two consular employees.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday that India has advised its partners, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, not to provide space to “extremist Khalistani ideology” since it is “not good” for relations.
He was responding to allegations of Khalistani posters naming prominent Indian officials in Canada.
The minister stated that the matter will be brought up with the authorities of that country.
He told reporters on the sidelines of a BJP outreach drive that the “radical, extremist Khalistani ideology” is not healthy for India or its partner countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
“We have already requested that our partner countries, such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where Khalistani activities occur from time to time, not give space to Khalistanis.”
“We will raise the issue of posters with those governments,” Jaishankar promised.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube to get the latest updates !
