It has been over 12 years since four police constables and a private security guard were killed, while 20 other people were injured when terrorists attacked an American cultural centre in Kolkata on 22 January 2002. On Tuesday, a wreath-laying ceremony was organised in memory deceased in Kolkata. The ceremony was attended by senior American diplomats including, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Gentry O. Smith and Consul General Kathy Giles-Diaz, along with senior West Bengal Police officials.
Speaking to reporters at the American Centre in Kolkata, Mr Smith talked about attacks on Indian consulates in the US and said the discussions on safety-related issues will come up when he is in Delhi.
Notably, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco was attacked twice in 2023--on March 19 and July 2--by a group of assailants who committed criminal trespass, damaged public property, and attacked officials of the Consulate. On March 19, 2023, protestors also tried to vandalise the Indian High Commission in London and pulled down the national flag while holding protests outside the High Commission last year.
"I think a lot of those conversations will take place when I am in Delhi. One of my responsibilities in the position that I have is to ensure that all diplomats who serve within the United States receive a proper amount of attention. If there are security issues, we are engaged about them. We are engaged at the local level, and we are engaged at my level as well. I have personnel in multiple locations throughout the US where there are embassies and consulates. And principal to those locations is the safety and security of all the diplomats who serve in those locations," he said.
Mr Smith also stressed the importance of security for consulates, especially in the backdrop of the attacks on Indian consulates in recent times.
"My job is to ensure that our personnel can serve abroad in a safe manner. We cannot do that without the collaboration of those who have the same responsibilities of security in the countries that we serve. From a reciprocal standpoint, we owe that to the diplomats who are serving in the United States as well," he said.
"We are in contact with embassies, consulates and other foreign missions within the US, to ensure that when we take into consideration all of the responsibilities that we have, we never lose sight of the fact that security is one of those responsibilities as well," Mr Smith added.
Remembering the attack on the American Centre in 2002, Consul General Kathy Giles-Diaz said, "It is unfortunate that this attack happened in Kolkata and we have that tragic distinction of being the only place in India that has had an attack on an American diplomatic facility but I have been very grateful and continue to be very grateful for the cooperation with the Police and with our local guard force."
