US condemns vandalism at Indian consulate in San Francisco, Sikh separatists started fire
- Sikh separatists tried to set fire to the building – there was no major damage nor any injuries and police are investigating
- Similar incidents have taken place outside Indian diplomatic missions in Britain and Canada in recent months
The United States has condemned vandalism against the Indian consulate in the city of San Francisco, a State Department spokesman said, after a report of a protest at the mission by supporters of a separate state for the Sikh community.
Sikh separatists tried to set fire to the consulate at the weekend. There was no major damage nor any injuries and police were investigating, ANI news agency said, citing sources.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller did not mention Sikh protesters but said in a post on Twitter that the US strongly condemned the reported vandalism and attempted arson on Saturday.
“Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the US is a criminal offence,” Miller said.
Similar incidents have taken place outside Indian diplomatic missions in Britain and Canada in recent months.
Sikh separatists have for generations sought an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan in northwest India.
Their demand led to violence in which tens of thousands of people were killed, mostly in India, in the 1980s and 1990s. Activists in the Sikh community in India and overseas have revived the call recently.