Pro-Khalistani leaders from the Sikh community staged a protest outside the U.S. State Department and the Indian Embassy to condemn the visit of Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
During his trip to Washington, Jaishankar met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
A large group of Sikh activists, carrying Khalistan flags, marched toward the State Department building, chanting slogans in support of Khalistan. They condemned the meeting between Blinken and Jaishankar and called for sanctions against the Modi government and Indian intelligence agents over the alleged murder plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen, and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
After protesting at the State Department, the same group gathered outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., where they slashed the Indian flag with swords near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. Holding Khalistan flags and chanting slogans such as “Kill Modi Politics,” the protesters called for the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan.
Dr. Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, who led the protest, told journalists, “Jaishankar is part of the conspiracy orchestrated by the Modi government to target Sikh activists in Western countries.”
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs For Justice further added, “Jaishankar is justifying the assassination of Shaheed Nijjar and the murder-for-hire plot in New York by Modi’s India on international forums.”
The protests saw a heavy presence of D.C. police outside the State Department and Indian Embassy.
