San Francisco: Indian Americans holding the Tricolour gathered outside the Indian Consulate in San Francisco to express support for India and its diplomats there following a recent attempted arson at the diplomatic facility by pro-Khalistan supporters. They raised slogans like "Vande Mataram", "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Akhand Bharat Zindabad".
They were carrying banners carrying messages like "We stand with our diplomats" and "Khalistani attack on the Consulate is an act of terrorism".
A group of pro-Khalistan supporters allegedly attempted to set fire to the Consulate on July 2. There was no major damage nor any injuries and police were carrying out an investigation into the incident.
A video of the fire at the Consulate was suppressed quickly by the San Francisco Fire Department. Calling the attack nothing less than a "terror act" an official said that no major damages or staffers were harmed.
The Local San Francisco police department, special diplomatic security personnel, and state and federal authorities were notified and immediately began investigating the incident. Following the incident, the US strongly condemned the reported vandalism and attempted arson by pro-Khalistan supporters.
Meanwhile, the co-chairs of the India Caucus condemned such elements, saying free speech is not a license to provoke violence. The remarks were made by the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India, Ro Khanna, and Michael Waltz. They also appealed to the US State Department to investigate the damage and take necessary action.