US condemns attack on Indian Consulate in San Francisco

Khalistan radicals vandalized and attempted to set fire to the consulate on Sunday

United States has condemned vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco allegedly by Khalistan supporters for the second time in five months, calling it a “criminal offense.”

“The US strongly condemns the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller tweeted.

“Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the US is a criminal offense,” he wrote.

READ: Khalistan supporters attack Indian consulate in San Francisco (March 20, 2023)

A video uploaded to Twitter by Khalistan supporters showed that a group of Khalistan radicals set the consulate on fire on July 2. The local fire department was able to put out the fire and no major damage or injuries to staffers were reported.

The video had the words “violence begets violence” written over it. It also showed news articles related to the death of Canada-based Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 1 million ($12,500) on his head, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada last month.

Diya TV, a South Asian broadcast TV network in the US, said in a tweet that “a fire was set early Sunday morning between 1:30-2:30 am in the San Francisco Indian Consulate.“

“The fire was suppressed quickly by the San Francisco Department, the damage was limited and no staffers were harmed. Local, state and federal authorities have been notified,” it said. The outlet also posted a video of the arson attack.

A poster being shared on social media says that a “Khalistan Freedom Rally” will be organized on July 8 that will start in Berkeley, California, and end at the Indian embassy in San Francisco.

In March, a similar attack had taken place on the San Francisco consulate. India had then registered a “strong protest” with the US, calling for “appropriate measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents”.

READ: Indian mission, diaspora condemn Connecticut assembly’s pro Khalistan stance (May 3, 2022)

In New Delhi, India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA) held a meeting with the US Charge d’Affaires for the US government “to be reminded of its basic obligation to protect and secure diplomatic representation”.

India has also taken up with the Canadian government the matter of pro-Khalistani posters appearing, with the photos and names of the Indian high commissioner and consul general. These posters too were in protest against Nijjar’s killing.