US Condemns ‘Attempted Arson’ Against Indian Consulate in San Francisco

A security guard adjusts barricades at the Indian Consulate as broken windows and a graffiti reading "FreeAmritpal" are seen behind, in San Francisco, Calif., on March 20, 2023. Noah Berger/AFP via Getty Images

The Indian Consulate in San Francisco was allegedly set ablaze by Sikh separatists—who sought an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan in India—on July 2, drawing condemnation from the United States.

Diya TV published footage of the incident on Twitter, allegedly released by Khalistan supporters, which shows that a fire had broken out in the building. The San Francisco fire department promptly extinguished the fire, and no injury was reported.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the United States strongly condemned the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate but did not mention Sikh protesters.

“Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the U.S. is a criminal offense,” Miller stated on Twitter.

This marked the group’s second attack against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco in four months, after the attack on March 20, where protesters smashed the windows, injuring several staff members.

The footage of the fire incident also included newspaper clippings on the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent member of the Sikh community and the president of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, who was shot dead in Canada last month.

A police officer surveys the scene near the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib temple after a shooting in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on June 19, 2023. Jennifer Gauthier/The Canadian Press

Nijjar was found murdered in his vehicle outside the parking lot after evening prayers at his place of worship on June 18. Police suspected the killing to be deliberate but said they were still investigating the possible motive.

Poster Calling for Rally in Canada

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said India had urged Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia “not to give space to the Khalistanis,” referring to Sikh protesters. “Because their radical, extremist thinking is neither good for us nor them nor our relations,” Jaishankar told reporters on Monday, according to India Today.

Jaishankar was responding to questions regarding pro-Khalistan posters circulated in Canada, which accuse Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and Consul General of India in Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava, of assassinating Nijjar.

The posters urged pro-Khalistan residents in Canada to gather from the Great Punjab Business Center and march to the Indian Embassy on July 8. Jaishankar said the Indian government had communicated with Canada about the planned rally.

“We have requested them not to give space to Khalistani groups. This poster, I believe, was issued a day back, and it has already been taken up with the country concerned through proper channels,” he said.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Tuesday that her country takes its obligations under the Vienna Convention concerning the safety of diplomats seriously and maintains close contact with Indian officials.

“Canada remains in close contact with Indian officials in light of some of the promotional material circulating online regarding a protest planned for July 8th, which are unacceptable,” Joly said in a statement released on Twitter.

“We know that the actions of a few do not speak for an entire community, or Canada,” she added.

The Khalistan movement is banned in India, where officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat. But the movement still has some support in the state and beyond in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom that are home to a sizable Sikh diaspora.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.