US: Khalistanis set fire to the Indian consulate in San Francisco, staffers escape unharmed. Here is what happened

Earlier in March this year, Khalistan supporters attacked the Indian consulate in San Francisco, damaged the property and waved Khalistan flags.

Indian consulate in San Francisco on fire, images via AP and Twitter/ Diya TV

On Sunday morning (July 2, local time), Khalistanis carried out an arson attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco city of United States.

As per reports, the extremists 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 fire was quickly doused by the San Francisco fire department. The local, State and federal authorities were also notified about the incident. A video of the incident has now gone viral on social media.

ARSON ATTEMPT AT SF INDIAN CONSULATE: #DiyaTV has verified with @CGISFO @NagenTV that a fire was set early Sunday morning between 1:30-2:30 am in the San Francisco Indian Consulate. The fire was suppressed quickly by the San Francisco Department, damage was limited and no… pic.twitter.com/bHXNPmqSVm

-Diya TV – 24/7 * Free * Local (@DiyaTV) July 3, 2023

In a statement, the official spokesperson of the US State Department Matthew Miller said, The U.S. strongly condemns the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday. Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the U.S. is a criminal offense.

The U.S. strongly condemns the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday. Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the U.S. is a criminal offense

-Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) July 3, 2023

Earlier in March this year, Khalistan supporters launched an attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco. A video of the attack surfaced on social media wherein Khalistani elements were damaging the property and waving Khalistan flags.

The extremists broke through makeshift security barriers installed by the local authorities, installed two Khalistani flags inside the consulate, and caused significant damage to the building. Two consulate personnel later removed the flags.

In this video you can see how Khalistani elements attacked the Indian consulate in San Francisco after Indian officials removed Khalistani flags from consulate property. #india #indiansinusa #bharat pic.twitter.com/LT1fz8GoPA

-PunFact (@pun_fact) March 20, 2023

On Monday (June 3), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India would take up the issue of Khalistanis, threatening Indian diplomats in posters circulated in Canada, with the Trudeau government.

While speaking to the media, he added that India has urged its partner countries like Canada, the United States, the UK, and Australia not to give space to the Khalistanis. “This will affect our relations. We will raise this poster issue with the government of these countries,” he said. The statement came after Khalistani posters carrying threats to Indian diplomats were circulated in Canada.