The United States on Monday denounced the vandalism and attempted arson at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, calling the violence a “criminal offense”. A video by Khalistan supporters, dated July 2, 2023 posted on Twitter, showed the act of fire-setting at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. The video, with the words ‘violence begets violence’ written over 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 had a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Canada last month.
According to Diya TV, a local station, Khalistanis extremists ignited the Indian consulate between 1:30am and 2:30am. However, the San Francisco fire department swiftly extinguished it.
“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,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a tweet Monday.
Diya TV, a South Asian broadcast TV network in the US, said in a tweet that “a fire was started early Sunday morning between 1:30-2:30 am in the San Francisco Indian Consulate.” “The fire was put out quickly by the San Francisco Department, damage was minimal and no staffers were injured. Local, state and federal authorities have been alerted,” 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 held on July 8 that will begin in Berkeley, California and end at the Indian embassy in San Francisco.