Indian consulate burned down for second time in three months by Khalistani separatists. This last time, the extremists managed to set fire to the front of the property.
The belligerent act took place in the early hours of Sunday, July 2, where San Francisco firefighters moved quickly to put out the fire, limiting the damage to the facilities.
According to the San Francisco Fire Department "SFFDPIO", no one was injured. However, no arrests have been made and the fire is still under investigation.
The India Currents reported that witnesses reported that two men dressed in dark clothes were seen defacing the front door of the Indian consulate with pro-Khalistan graffiti in the early morning of July 2. They then doused flammable liquid from fuel cans at the entrance and set it alight before fleeing the scene.
ARSON ATTEMPT AT SF INDIAN CONSULATE: #DiyaTV have verified with @CGISFO @NagenTV that a fire was set early Sunday morning between 1:30-2:30 am in the San Francisco Indian Consulate. The fire was quickly suppressed by the San Francisco Department, damage was limited and no? pic.twitter.com/bHXNPmqSVm
— Diya TV – 24/7 * Free * Local (@DiyaTV) July 3, 2023
Khalistani supporters claimed through a video posted on Twitter that the arson attack was a protest against the capture and murder of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, Canada.
The murder, reported India Currents, sparked strong demonstrations outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver, where people chanted "We will not be silenced."
Both the Indian and US governments condemned the arson attack on the consulate.
"Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the US is a criminal offense," said the spokesman for the US State Department, Mathew Miller, through his Twitter account.
For his part, India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar warned against using the names of Indian diplomats on Khalistani posters in Canada, calling on Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia "not to give space to the Khalistanis”, otherwise it would affect diplomatic relations.
Representatives Ro Khanna ?CA-17? and Michael Waltz ?FL-06?, co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, noted that “as co-chairs of the India Caucus…we support the right to free speech and freedom of expression for all Americans, but that is not a license to vandalize property or incite violence. Violence against diplomatic facilities is a criminal offense and will not be tolerated. We urge the Department of State to coordinate with law enforcement in its investigation of the damage to the Indian Consulate in an expeditious manner and hold those involved accountable."
Anyone with information about the consulate fire can call the SFPD at 415-575-444 or text TIP411.
With information from India Currents. You can read the original note by clicking here.
This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, ayou administeredred by the California State Library.
You may be interested in: US Supreme Court Sets Back College Education, Eliminates “Affirmative Action”
