Indian consulate in San Francisco attacked again; US ‘strongly condemns’
The United States on Tuesday “strongly condemned” the reported vandalism and attempted arson by pro-Khalistan supporters at the Indian consulate in San Francisco on Sunday (local time).
Diya TV, a local channel, reported that Khalistanis radicals set the Indian consulate on fire between 1:30am and 2:30am. But it was quickly doused by the San Francisco fire department.
The report added that while the damage was limited, no staffers were injured in the incident. Khalistan supporters reportedly released a video in connection with the incident. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
“The U.S. strongly condemns the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday. Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the U.S. is a criminal offense,” Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US State Department tweeted.
The incident came months after a group of pro-Khalistani protesters in March attacked and damaged the Indian consulate in San Francisco, prompting sharp condemnation from the Indian government and India-Americans, who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it.
Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.
The attack on the Indian consulate came hours after pro-Khalistani supporters pulled down the Indian tricolour flying atop the Indian high commission in London.
On Monday, HT reported that India has asked Canada to urgently act against so-called Khalistan extremists who are planning to take out a protest march to Indian embassies in Toronto and Vancouver after deliberately trying to blame Indian diplomats and security agencies for the killing of designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The 45-year-old Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief was killed in an inter-gang warfare on June 19 in Sikh-dominated Surrey town in Vancouver. Nijjar had links with the proscribed organization SFJ, which is led by a US-based designated terrorist.