On Sunday morning (July 2, local time), Khalistanis carried out an arson attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco city of United States.
As per reports, the extremists set the building on fire between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on Sunday. However, the damage was limited and the staffers escaped unharmed.
The fire was quickly doused by the San Francisco fire department. The local, State and federal authorities were also notified about the incident. A video of the incident has now gone viral on social media.
In a statement, the official spokesperson of the US State Department Matthew Miller said, 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.
Earlier in March this year, Khalistan supporters launched an attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco. A video of the attack surfaced on social media wherein Khalistani elements were damaging the property and waving Khalistan flags.
The extremists broke through makeshift security barriers installed by the local authorities, installed two Khalistani flags inside the consulate, and caused significant damage to the building. Two consulate personnel later removed the flags.
On Monday (June 3), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India would take up the issue of Khalistanis, threatening Indian diplomats in posters circulated in Canada, with the Trudeau government.
While speaking to the media, he added that India has urged its partner countries like Canada, the United States, the UK, and Australia not to give space to the Khalistanis. “This will affect our relations. We will raise this poster issue with the government of these countries,” he said. The statement came after Khalistani posters carrying threats to Indian diplomats were circulated in Canada.