Indian-American community, US lawmakers condemn attack on Indian Consulate in San Francisco

Slamming the recent attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco, American lawmakers and several Indian-American community organisations have called for a thorough probe into the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice. While the right to protest is ingrained in the US Constitution, no one has the right to engage in violence, they said in separate statements and tweets on Friday. They also condemned the threats made to Indian diplomats including India’s Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu by Khalistani forces and called on the Biden administration to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats. Pro-Khalistan supporters vandalised and set the Indian consulate in San Francisco on fire, drawing “strong condemnation” from the United States on Tuesday. According to Diya TV, an American broadcast television network, the Khalistanis supporters released a video dated 2 July related to the act of violence. The Khalistanis radicals set the Indian consulate on fire between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on Sunday. But it was quickly doused by the San Francisco fire department, the channel reported, adding, that the damage was limited and no staffers were harmed. Meanwhile, Congressman Frank Pallone has ensured the safety of foreign diplomats on American soil. “I hope the administration will help provide safety and security moving forward,” he said. In a tweet, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, “The right to protest is ingrained in the US Constitution, but no one has the right to engage in violence, including against diplomatic facilities.” The Federation of Gujarati Association of USA joined the chorus and condemned the attacks on the Indian consulate. “Such unruly behaviour is unacceptable and we appeal to the US authorities that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” the association said in a statement. It added, “We express our unwavering support to Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu ji, the Ambassador of India to the USA, and his team at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco during this time.” Sikhs of America, a leading Sikh organisation in the US also strongly condemned the incident. “We express our unwavering support to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. We ask the local and federal law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators behind this to justice,” it said. With inputs from PTI