WASHINGTON: The Uni­­ted States has conde­m­ned vandalism against the Indian consulate in the city of San Francisco, a State Department spokesman said, after a report of a protest at the mission by supporters of a separate state for the Sikh community.

Sikh separatists tried to set fire to the consulate on the weekend, ANI reported, citing sources. There was no major damage nor any injuries and police were investigating, the news agency said.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller did not mention Sikh protesters but said in a post on Twitter that the US strongly condemned the reported vandalism and attempted arson on Saturday.

“Vandalism or violence against diplomatic facilities or foreign diplomats in the US is a criminal offense,” Miller said. Similar incidents have taken place outside Indian diplomatic missions in Britain and Canada in recent months.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2023