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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.