New Delhi: Lalit Jha, an Indian journalist primarily based in Washington, alleged that he was bodily assaulted and verbally abused by pro-Khalistan supporters whereas overlaying a protest exterior the Indian Embassy on March 20. Jha shared a video of the incident on his Twitter deal with and thanked the US Secret Service for safeguarding him. He mentioned he was hit on his left ear with two sticks by pro-Khalistan supporters and needed to name 911 for security fearing bodily assault.
However, the journalist determined to take no motion towards those that heckled him. Jha instructed the information company ANI, “The pro-Khalistan protestors…descended upon the embassy in the presence of the US Secret Service. They even openly threatened to vandalize the embassy and threatened the Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu.”
Thank you @SecretService 4 my safety 2day 4 serving to do my job, in any other case I’d have been scripting this from hospital. The gentleman beneath hit my left ear with these 2 sticks & earlier I needed to name 9/11 & rushed 2 police van 4 security fearing bodily assault. pic.twitter.com/IVcCeP5BPG
— Lalit Okay Jha ललित के झा (@lalitkjha) March 25, 2023
The protesters included turbaned males of all ages who raised pro-Khalistan slogans and made anti-India speeches.
In addition to this incident, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco was attacked on March 20 by a gaggle of separatist Sikhs who used Khalistan flags to interrupt by way of makeshift safety boundaries and put in two Khalistani flags contained in the premises.
The US strongly condemned the assault on the Indian Consulate and pledged to defend the protection and safety of diplomatic services in addition to the diplomats who work inside them. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned through Twitter that the US is dedicated to the protection and safety of Indian diplomats and confirmed that the State Department is in contact with native legislation enforcement authorities.
