The latest round of attacks against Indian commissions abroad has started after the action was taken against pro-Khalistan leader turned fugitive Amritpal Singh in Punjab.
Khalistani elements in a video which has gone viral on social media are seen damaging the property at the consulate while brandishing their Khalistani flags. This attack on the Indian consulate comes shortly after the London incident.
Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke upon the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags. Soon thereafter, a group of angry protesters entered the consulate premises and started hitting the door and windows with iron rods.
In the video, one can also see the Khalistani flags being used to break the doors and windows of the consulate. The attackers also painted #FreeAmritpal graffiti on the walls of the building as well.
In a press release, MEA said that the US Government was “reminded of its basic obligation to protect and secure diplomatic representation”. The United States “was asked to take appropriate measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents”, added the press release.
The Indian embassy in Washington also registered and conveyed India’s “concerns” to the US State department.
There was no immediate comment from the San Francisco police. However, this has prompted sharp condemnation from Indian Americans, who demanded immediate action against those responsible for it. Community leader Ajay Bhutoria vehemently condemned the attack by pro-Khalistani protesters on the Consulate of India building in San Francisco.
“We are also appalled by the complete law and order failure in both in London as well as in SFO where a few radicalised separatists attacked India’s diplomatic missions,” Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) said after pro-Khalistani protesters attacked the Indian Consulate in San Francisco.
Denouncing the assault on the Indian consulate in San Francisco, it said that such acts wouldn’t just put India-US relations in peril but vitiate the peaceful atmosphere & harmony of the community. It said that both the US & UK failed to honour the commitment under the Vienna convention to protect missions in all circumstances.
It said that Pakistan’s spy agency ISI is behind instigating and funding Sikh radicalisation with false propaganda. “We ask Indian Americans including Sikh-majority to rise against the extremism,” FIIDS said.
In Canberra, Khalistan supporters were gathered outside the Australian parliament to protest against the police crackdown on radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his associates in Punjab.
In the meantime, the Sikh community staged a protest outside the British High Commission in New Delhi over the attack on the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom by pro-Khalistani supporters on March 19. The protesters tried to storm into the British High Commission. Heavy police were deployed to avoid any untoward incident. The Sikh community members also raised “Bharat mata ki jai” slogans. The video of the incident also surfaced on social media. There is a clear divide between the view of the common mass and the activators of the Khalistan movement.
This is a clear indication of polarising the community. These incidents are spiralling out of control. This is a situation of complete failure of law and order. India needs to take vehement steps to curb these anti-Indian activities, harbouring wrongful sentiments.
