Indian Americans rally in support of India at San Francisco consulate after Khalistani attack

PTI, Jul 15, 2023, 3:41 PM IST

PTI photo

Scores of Indian Americans held a peace rally in front of the Indian Consulate here to express solidarity with India following a recent attempted arson at the diplomatic facility by Khalistan supporters.

A video by Khalistan supporters, dated July 2 posted on Twitter, showed the act of arson at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. It was the second such act of violence within months.

A large number of Indian Americans from in and around San Francisco came out in support of India this week as they held a peaceful rally in front of the Indian Consulate in San Francisco against the recent act of violence.

The protesters described it as an act of terrorism act and demanded that those responsible for violence be brought to justice.

India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu visited the Consulate here on Thursday and met Indian diplomats and officials at the mission.

India has asked its partner countries such as Canada, the UK and the US not to give space to “extremist Khalistani ideology” as it is “not good” for bilateral relations.

The “radical, extremist Khalistani ideology” is not good for India or its partner countries such as the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in New Delhi early this month.

On March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.

Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed those flags.