White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said vandalism at Indian Consulate in San Francisco is "absolutely unacceptable" and is condemned by the US, as reported by the news agency ANI.
"We certainly condemn that vandalism, it's absolutely unacceptable. State Department's diplomatic security service is working with local authorities to properly investigate. State department will work on infrastructure perspective to repair the damage," Kirby said, as quoted by ANI.
Speaking to ANI, a US State Department spokesperson said, "The United States condemns the attack against the Indian Consulate and any attack against diplomatic facilities within the United States. We pledge to defend the safety and security of these facilities as well as the diplomats who work within them."
On Sunday, a group of Khalistan supporters broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the police and installed two Khalistani flags inside the Consulate premises. Thereafter, a group of protesters entered the consulate premises and started attacking the door and windows with iron rods, PTI reported.
The incident drew widespread condemnation from the Indian-American community. "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.
Apart from the US, Khalistan supporters gathered outside Australian Parliament in Canberra to protest against police crackdown on radical preacher Amritpal Singh and his associates in Punjab. The development comes a day after the national flag at the Indian High Commission in London was pulled down during a protest by pro-Khalistan activists.
On Monday, India summoned the senior-most British diplomat in Delhi and demanded an explanation over complete "absence of security" at the mission. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said India has asked the UK to quickly arrest and prosecute those involved in the incident.