Indian Americans rally in support of India at San Francisco Consulate
WASHINGTON: A large number of Indian-American community members staged a peaceful rally in support of India in front of the embassy in San Francisco, which was vandalized by separatist Sikhs earlier this week.
A group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and vandalized the Indian embassy in San Francisco on Sunday. Protesters chanting pro-Khalistani slogans broke through temporary security barriers erected by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistani flags at the embassy compound. Two embassy staff quickly removed the flags.
A large number of Indian-Americans drove from San Francisco and surrounding areas on Friday and waved the tricolor to show solidarity with India.
They condemned the destructive activities of the separatist Sikhs who were in small numbers there.
Local police were deployed in large numbers to prevent any untoward incident. Some of the separatist Sikhs raised pro-Khalistan slogans, but a large number of Indian Americans chanted “Vande Mataram” and waved the Indian national flag alongside the American national flag.
Indian Americans raised slogans in support of India.
In recent months there has been an increase in anti-India activities in Canada, Australia and the UK by Khalistan supporters who have vandalized some Hindu temples in these countries.
India on Monday lodged a strong reprimand with US crime watchdogs in Delhi over the vandalism of the Indian consulate in San Francisco by some pro-Khalistan forces during protests.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi has asked the US government to take appropriate measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
About 4.2 million people of Indian American/Indian descent live in the United States. People of Indian origin (3.18 million) are the third largest Asian ethnic group in the United States.
