On 4th July, US Congressional Candidate Ritesh Tandon condemned the attack on Indian Consulate in San Francisco. Tagging Ambassador of India to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Consul General of India Dr TV Nagendra Prasad, he highlighted that the Indian community is being attacked through bills like SB403 that Aishabb Wahab tabled.
I strongly condemn the reported acts of vandalism, attempted arson, and fire targeting the Indian Consulate in San Francisco @nagentv @SandhuTaranjitS. These criminal offenses are highly reprehensible. It is disappointing to witness the lack of action from California Governor… pic.twitter.com/mXxl9aHva2
— Ritesh Tandon US Congressional Candidate, CA 17 (@tandon4congress) July 4, 2023
Tandon published a photograph in the tweet where the main witness of SB403 and founder of Equality Labs, Thenmozhi Soundararajan, can be seen sharing the stage with Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who is the founder of Khalistani terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice or SFJ.
He also questioned the lack of action against pro-Khalistani individuals like Amar Singh Shergull, who previously served as Chairman in a left Democratic group and now collaborating with Democrats to “escalate attacks on the Indian community” through bills like SB403. He further called out his political opponent Ro Khanna for not saying a word against the attack on Indian Consulate in San Francisco. Khanna, who was visibly active on social media after the attack, did not condemn it from his personal or official handles.
Tandon wrote, “I strongly condemn the reported acts of vandalism, attempted arson, and fire targeting the Indian Consulate in San Francisco Dr TV Nagendra Prasad and Taranjit Singh Sandhu. These criminal offences are highly reprehensible. It is disappointing to witness the lack of action from California Governor Gavin Newsom and the US Government, President Biden and VP Harris in safeguarding the Indian Consulate. Moreover, it is concerning that no action has been taken against Khalistani individuals, particularly when the leader Amar Singh Shergill of the Khalistani movement previously served as Chairman in a left Democratic group and is now collaborating with Democrats to escalate attacks on the Indian community through bills like SB403 [tabled by] Aisha Wahab. It is truly shameful that the main witness of SB403 is associated with Khalistani individuals. It raises concerns about the state of democracy in America. No words or any action from my opponent Ro Khanna.”
The photograph that shows Thenmozhi Soundararajan with SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
The image shared by Tandon was from a program that took place at the Allan P. Kirby Center for Constitutional Studies and Statesmanship in Washington, DC. Upon research, we found another photograph of the same event that was shared by the Hindu Policy Research and Advocacy Collective USA (HinduPACT) in June 2022.
THREAD!
— HinduPACT (@HinduPACT) June 3, 2022
1/6 Glad that @googlepubpolicy & @sundarpichai refused to give platform to an India-hating & #Hinduphobe org – #EqualityLabs and its leaders who masquerade as "Dalit activists".
On May 22, 2019; their leader Thenmozhi Soundararajan hosted an event with SFJ, a banned… pic.twitter.com/QyPYdq6jJV
In a tweet, HinduPACT said the photograph was from an event that took place on 22nd May 2019. If the date is correct, this particular event shows a much larger sinister plan, as it was just one day before the Lok Sabha 2019 elections results were announced. On the same day, Soundararajan’s Equality Lab, in partnership with South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), then-API Chaya, and the office of representative Pramila Jayapal held a congressional briefing on caste discrimination in the US in Washington DC. Notably, that briefing was based on the dubious survey that Equality Labs did on caste discrimination. The same survey led to the SB403 bill that Tandon mentioned in his tweet.
Attack on Indian Consulate in San Francisco
On 2nd July (local time), Khalistanis carried out an arson attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco city of United States. The pro-Khalistani elements set the building on fire between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on Sunday. However, the damage was limited, and the staffers escaped unharmed. The San Francisco fire department quickly doused the fire. The local, State, and federal authorities were also notified about the incident. A video of the incident went viral on social media.
Amar Singh Shergill has an association with pro-Khalistani and anti-India elements
Amar Singh Shergill has a long history of anti-India activities. In February 2021, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) alleged that Shergill Amar, who is Chair of the California Democratic Progressive Caucus, and Pieter Friedrich, a known pro-Khalistani, were running campaigns against all Indian American and Hindu lawmakers.
He has been actively working against India’s interests. Recently, he has been seen siding with Hindus for Human Rights, a dubious anti-Hindu and anti-India organization that has links to George Soros. He has been a staunch promoter of the SB403 bill.
CA leads again! @aishabbwahab introduced #SB403, the first statewide ban on caste discrimination.
— Amar Singh Shergill 🪯⚖️🗳️🌹🟧 (@AmarShergillCA) March 23, 2023
It was my honor to speak at the press conference. Thank you @CornelWest @EqualityLabs @SANSoCal @JakaraMovement @dalitdiva @Prem11423 and all of our allies for making this happen. https://t.co/SKSSkmuh0z pic.twitter.com/udgWU8r2M5
SFJ and Pannun
Sikhs For Justice, or SFJ, is a banned Khalistani terrorist organization. Its founder and deemed terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has been actively promoting the Khalistani movement and inciting Sikh youth against India. He has been running a so-called referendum voting to establish Sikh nation named Khalistan by separating Punjab, parts of Himachal Pradesh, and other states from India.
SFJ has funded several anti-India activities, including defacing government buildings, installing the Khalistan flag on government buildings, and more. The organization was also accused of hoisting the alien flag on Red Fort in the background of the Tractor Rally during farmer protests on 26th January 2021 that went violent.
