- Thursday, April 24, 2025
This is the second time since March that the Indian consulate in San Francisco has been targeted.
By: Shubham Ghosh
HOURS after Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar warned “partner countries” such as Canada, US, UK and Australia not to give space to pro-Khalistan activists in response to a question over the surfacing of an anti-India poster in Canada targeting top Indian diplomats in that country, it has been reported that the Indian consulate in San Francisco was allegedly vandalised by Khalistani separatists on Sunday (2), drawing even sharp condemnation from the US state department.
“The US 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 US is a criminal offense,” state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a tweet.
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 (@StateDeptSpox) July 3, 2023
Diya TV, an Asian-American owned channel in San Francisco which highlights the culture of India and South Asia, shared a video of the arson at the diplomatic establishment on Twitter. It said the consulate was set on fire between 1.30 and 2.30 am and it was quickly doused by the local fire authorities.
“ARSON ATTEMPT AT SF INDIAN CONSULATE: #DiyaTV has 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 suppressed quickly by the San Francisco Department, damage was limited and no staffers were harmed. Local, state and federal authorities have been notified,” Diya TV tweeted.
ARSON ATTEMPT AT SF INDIAN CONSULATE: #DiyaTV has 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 suppressed quickly by the San Francisco Department, damage was limited and no… pic.twitter.com/bHXNPmqSVm
— Diya TV – 24/7 * Free * Local (@DiyaTV) July 3, 2023
India Weekly could not independently verify the video’s authenticity.
This is the second time since March that the Indian consulate in San Francisco has been targeted. Earlier, the diplomat campus was vandalised after the police in India’s Punjab launched a hunt for Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh and his aides.
Khalistan sympathisers have also been attacking Indian symbols in countries such as Australia and the UK.
On Monday, Jaishankar told reporters in New Delhi said the “radical, extremist” Khalistani ideology is not good for either India or its partner countries and warned that it could hit their relations.
“We have requested our partner countries like Canada, US, UK and Australia where sometimes Khalistani activities happen, not to give space to the Khalistanis. Because their (Khalistanis) radical, extremist thinking is neither good for us nor them nor our relations,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
In Canada, a poster named “Kill India” emerged that accused two top Indian diplomats posted in Canada over the death of Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was gunned down by two unidentified assailants inside a gurdwara campus in Canada’s Surrey in June.
The separatists organised a “Khalistan freedom rally” on July 8 that would take place between the Great Punjab Business Centre in Malton and the Indian consulate general in Toronto.
