Once again, Khalistani extremists targeted the Indian consulate in San Francisco, launching a second attack within a span of five months. During this incident, the extremists briefly set fire to the consulate, but the San Francisco Fire Department quickly extinguished it. The US State Department has expressed its condemnation of the attack. Several videos of the incident have circulated on social media, although their authenticity remains unverified by WION.
According to Diya TV, the attack on the consulate occurred between 1:30 am and 2:30 am local time on Sunday. Fortunately, the damage was limited, and no Indian personnel were injured. The Indian authorities have already notified local, state, and federal authorities about the attack, as reported by ANI.
Sikh extremists in the US and Canada hold India responsible for the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist and Khalistani activist who recently died in Vancouver, Canada. Nijjar, the 45-year-old chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was reportedly killed in a clash between gangs on July 19. According to Hindustan Times, Nijjar had close ties with the Khalistani terrorist organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), which is led by a designated terrorist based in the US.
In the aftermath of the attack, Sikh extremists released a poster targeting Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad, Consul General at the Consulate General of India in San Francisco.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, condemned the attack and stated on Twitter that assaulting a diplomatic facility in the US is a criminal offense. He wrote, “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.”
This incident occurred just a few months after a similar attack on the consulate in March, which drew strong criticism from both the Indian government and the Indian-American community. During the March attack, protesters chanting pro-Khalistan slogans managed to breach the makeshift security barriers set up by the local police and placed two Khalistani flags inside the consulate premises. However, consulate personnel promptly removed these flags.
Interestingly, the assault on the Indian consulate coincided with another incident in London, where pro-Khalistani supporters forcibly took down the Indian national flag that was flying at the Indian High Commission.
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