A spokesperson of the National Security Council of the White House said the US takes the safety and security of diplomats very seriously.
"We take very seriously the safety and security of diplomats living in the United States and strongly condemn acts of vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or personnel," the spokesperson told PTI.
AdvertisementCondemning the attack in the "strongest possible terms", Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar said, "Violence and attempts to instil terror are unacceptable in democracy." Congressman Rich McCormick said this attack is vile and unacceptable.
"Americans stand by our allies and our patriotic Indian-American community," he said in a tweet.
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna slammed the posters against Indian diplomats in the US, including Sandhu, doing the rounds on social media.
"I know Ambassador Sandhu and respect him. When I bring up human rights issues, he always engages with civility, thoughtfulness & candor. This rhetoric puts diplomats in harm's way. It's dangerous & has no place in a democracy. Free speech does not mean a license to incite violence," Khanna said.
Last week's attack was the second time within months that the Indian Consulate in San Francisco was targeted by Khalistani supporters.
On March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters attacked and damaged the consulate. Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters broke 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.
In a tweet, the South Asian Minorities Collective said, "Known for their proximity to Pakistani intelligence service, the Khalistan cult has been trying to revive itself over the past few years in US, UK and Canada." Sikh leader Jasdeep Singh described the attack on the Indian consulate as "shameful and disgraceful".
"Whoever did it should be brought to the fullest extent of law. Targeting any consulate or any diplomat or anybody for that reason is not a good thing," Singh told PTI.
"Although it has not been identified who the perpetrators were, the community is very, very upset because it is being linked to the Khalistani movement.
"There is a line between freedom of speech and the right to protest and getting involved in criminal activities like this one. So, we strongly condemn this criminal act," he said.
Responding to a question, Singh urged the Biden administration to make sure that consulates and diplomats of all countries, especially India, are protected and safe in the US.
"The Sikh community by and large stands with the laws of this great nation, and if anyone breaks the laws of this nation, the government should go after them," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
