US condemns attempted fire and vandalism against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco by supporters of Khalistan

In the second such act of violence in as many months, supporters of Khalistan attacked the Indian consulate in San Francisco and attempted to set the diplomatic facilities on fire. The US government strongly denounced the action and called it a “criminal offence.”

Supporters of Khalistan shared a video of the burning at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Twitter on July 2.

The movie, which had the phrase “violence begets violence” written across it, also had news reports on the passing of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was living in Canada.

Nijjar, one of India’s most wanted terrorists, was killed by gunfire last month outside a gurdwara in Canada. He was wearing a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head.

The US strongly condemns the alleged damage and attempted arson on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in a tweet on Monday. It is illegal in the US to vandalise or use violence against diplomatic missions or foreign diplomats.

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

“The fire was swiftly put out by the San Francisco Department; no staff members were hurt, and the damage was minimal. Authorities at the local, state, and federal levels have been informed,” it stated.

A video of the arson incident was also uploaded by the publication.

A “Khalistan Freedom Rally” is scheduled on July 8 and will reportedly begin in Berkeley, California and finish at the Indian embassy in San Francisco, according to a flyer being circulated on social media.

This is the second occasion in recent months that followers of Khalistani have attacked the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.

The Indian Consulate in San Francisco was stormed and vandalised on March 19 by a gang of pro-Khalistan demonstrators. The demonstrators demolished the temporary security barricades put up by the local police while shouting pro-Khalistan chants, and they placed two ‘Khalistani flags’ within the Consulate’s grounds. Soon after, two consular employees took down these banners.

India has requested that its allies, including the US, Canada, and the UK, not support “extremist Khalistani ideology” since it is “not good” for ties, according to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday.

He was reacting to allegations that there were Khalistani posters in Canada that listed important Indian officials.

The minister said that the matter will be brought up with the government of that nation.

He told reporters outside a BJP outreach effort that the “radical, extremist Khalistani ideology” is bad for India and its allies the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia.

“We have previously asked our partner nations, such as Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia, where sometimes Khalistani actions take place, to deny them room. Because of their (Khalistanis’) crazy, extremist ideology, none of us, them, or our relationships benefit from it, the minister stated.

Jaishankar said, “We will bring up the issue of posters with those governments.”