In the latest act of Khalistani violence abroad, a senior Indian journalist was attacked by a Khalistan supporter in Washington DC.
At a protest in Washington DC, a Khalistan supporter first abused and then assaulted journalist Lalit K Jha, who is the Chief US Correspondent of the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency. He covers Washington DC and the White House for PTI.
In a statement, the Embassy of India in the United States took note of the incident and condemned the attack on Jha.
Sharing the video of the incident on Twitter, Jha said that he had to call emergency services on 911 for help. He thanked the security personnel for help in the incident.
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"Thank you, US Secret Service for my protection today for helping do my job, otherwise I would have been writing this from hospital. The gentleman below hit my left ear with these two sticks and earlier I had to call 911 and rushed to police van for safety fearing physical assault," said Jha.
In the video, people with Khalistan flags are seen abusing Jha and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One man with a Khalistan flag who hits Jha abuses him and Modi and calls him "a dog" and a "bi**h of Modi".
"There is a fascist government. F**k Modi, f**k you...F**k the Indian government, f**k you, you are a f*****g dog for being his little b***h. That's what you are," says the flag-wielding Khalistan supporter in the video before hitting Jha.
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The Embassy of India in the United States took note of the incident and condemned it in a statement.
It said, "We have seen disturbing visuals of a senior Indian journalist from the Press Trust of India being abused, threatened and assaulted physically while covering so called ‘Khalistan protest’ in Washington DC earlier today.
"We understand that the journalist was first verbally intimidated, then physically assaulted, and fearing for his personal safety and well being, had to call in law enforcement agencies, who responded promptly.
"We condemn such a grave and unwarranted attack on a senior journalist. Such activities only underscore the violent and anti-social tendencies of the so called ‘Khalistani protestors’ and their supporters, who routinely engage in wanton violence and vandalism.
"We thank the law enforcement agencies for their prompt response in the matter."
The Khalistan movement is a decades-old movement that seeks a separate nation for Sikhs to be carved out of India. The Khalistan supporters waged a bloody insurgency by terrorist means for decades, primarily in Punjab, which ebbed in early 1990s. While the insurgency ebbed, the support for Khalistan remains in certain quarters, particularly abroad in places like the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada, where a number of organisations carry out activities in support of the Khalistani cause.
Lately, Khalistan supporters have targeted Indian and India-related sites abroad in a series of attacks. Earlier this month, the High Commission of India was vandalised in London where a Khalistan supporter climbed on the balcony and took down the Indian flag. In another incident, the Indian consulate in San Francisco in the United States was also targeted and vandalised by Khalistan supporters.
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Besides diplomatic missions, a number of Hindu temples have also been vandalised in recent months in a multiple incidents in Australia and Canada.
