A group of Khalistani supporters on Monday attacked the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, USA.
Washington:
The US on Monday strongly condemned the attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco by a group of separatist Sikhs, terming it as totally unacceptable.
Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, protesters on Sunday broke temporary security barriers erected by the city police and put up two so-called Khalistani flags inside the consulate complex.
Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.
Soon after, a group of angry protesters entered the consulate compound and began banging on doors and windows with iron rods.
“This barbarism is absolutely unacceptable,” John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications at the White House, strongly condemned the incident, telling reporters at a daily news conference.
“The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service is working with local authorities. I can’t speak for the San Francisco Police, but I can say that the Diplomatic Security Service is working with local authorities to properly investigate And obviously, the State Department is going, “We’re working from an infrastructure perspective to repair the damage, but it’s unacceptable,” Kirby said in response to a question.
The State Department has also issued a statement indicating that those behind this act will be held accountable.
The statement said, “The United States condemns the attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Sunday. Violence against diplomatic installations within the United States is a punishable offense.
“Protecting these facilities and the safety and security of the diplomats who work within them is our priority,” said the State Department’s South and Central Asia Bureau.
In a separate statement, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum strongly condemned the attack on the Indian mission in San Francisco, California.
“The United States and India are vibrant democracies and understand that the right to peacefully assemble and protest is sacred. However, violence and vandalism will not be condoned or tolerated,” it said.
It states that diplomatic and consular staff are entitled to an equal right to a safe and peaceful working environment free from external harm and threats. “We stand with the Honorable Consul General of India in San Francisco Dr. TV Nagendra Prasad and his staff.” The USISPF urged the local authorities in California and the district’s congressional leadership to take necessary action against those guilty of aiding and abetting. “We thank the State Department for responding promptly.”
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