The San Francisco consulate of India, which was vandalised by Khalistan supporters earlier this week, was the site of a large peace rally by members of the Indian-American community in support of India.
On Sunday, March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan demonstrators attacked and vandalised the Indian consulate in San Francisco. They demolished the temporary security barricades put up by the local police while shouting pro-Khalistan slogans and placed two ‘Khalistani flags’ inside the Consulate’s grounds. Soon after, two embassy employees took down these flags.
This is at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, US
— Geeta Mohan گیتا موہن गीता मोहन (@Geeta_Mohan) March 23, 2023
Pro-Khalistan protests confined to a space across the road after security heightened and barricades placed outside @CGISFO. pic.twitter.com/ebD5vwJP4m
In an effort to show their support for India, a significant number of Indian Americans travelled from San Francisco and the surrounding areas and waved the tricolour at the consulate on Friday. They denounced the damaging actions of the few separatist Sikhs who were also present at the site.
#WATCH | United States: Indians gather outside the Indian consulate in San Francisco in support of India’s unity pic.twitter.com/tuLxMBV3q0
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2023
To avert any unfortunate incident, local police officers were also present there in force. Some of the separatist Sikhs raised the flag of Khalistan and yelled pro-Khalistan slogans, but they were swamped by the massive group of Indian Americans who chanted pro-Indian slogans like ‘Vande Mataram’ and carried the Indian national flag alongside the US one.
Recent months have seen an increase in anti-Indian activities by Khalistanis, who have defaced certain Hindu temples in Canada, Australia, and the UK.
The incident of vandalism at the Indian consulate general in San Francisco by pro-Khalistan individuals during an anti-India rally was brought up by India in a meeting with the US Charge d’Affaires in Delhi.
In a meeting with the US Charge d’Affaires in Delhi, India conveyed its strong protest at the vandalisation of the property of the Consulate General of India, San Francisco: Ministry of External Affairs pic.twitter.com/KawjEK4Ifn
— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2023
The US administration was reminded of its basic obligation to protect and secure diplomatic representation and has been asked to take the necessary steps to stop similar occurrences from happening again, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi.
Indian Embassy in Washington D.C also notified the US State Department on the same issue.
In the US, there are roughly 4.2 million persons of Indian origin or American Indian heritage. The third-largest Asian ethnic group in the US comprises people of Indian descent.
Khalistanis have escalated their hostile activities after the crackdown on Sikh separatist organization ‘Waris Punjab De’ and its radical chief Amritpal Singh.
