US lawmakers and influential Indian-Americans condemned the arson attempt at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and called for expeditious action against those behind the “criminal act”. They also berated the "violent rhetoric" against India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu and said that free speech does not mean license to incite violence or vandalise property. The condemnation came after a video was posted by Khalistan supporters dated July 2 and posted on Twitter showed the act of arson at the Indian consulate in San Francisco, as per a PTI report.
The video was emblazoned with the words "violence begets violence" and showed news articles related to the death of Canada-based Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Congressmen Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz, co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, said in a joint statement on Thursday that violence against diplomatic facilities will not be tolerated.
"As the co-chairs of the India Caucus, we strongly condemn the attempted arson and vandalism at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and the posters circulating on social media with violent rhetoric aimed at Indian diplomats, including Ambassador Sandhu," they said.
"We support the right to free speech and freedom of expression for every American but that is not a license to vandalise property or incite violence. Violence against diplomatic facilities is a criminal offence and will not be tolerated. We urge the State Department to coordinate with law enforcement in their investigation of the damage at the Indian Consulate expeditiously and hold those involved accountable," they added.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick termed the attack as unacceptable. "I firmly condemn the repeated hateful attacks on the Indian Consulate and look forward to those involved being held accountable with appropriate legal action," he said.
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 the news agency.
Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar condemned the attack in the "strongest possible terms" and said, "Violence and attempts to instil terror are unacceptable in a democracy."