Pro-Khalistani leaders from the Sikh community held a protest outside the U.S. State Department and the Indian Embassy to oppose the visit of India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. During his trip to Washington, Minister Jaishankar met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

A large group of Sikh activists, waving Khalistan flags, marched toward the State Department, chanting slogans in support of Khalistan. The group criticised the recent meeting between Secretary Blinken and Jaishankar, calling for sanctions against the Modi government and Indian intelligence agents over the alleged plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen and the murder 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. While brandishing Khalistan flags and shouting catchphrases like "Kill Modi Politics," the demonstrators demanded the creation of an autonomous Sikh state known as "Khalistan." "There is evidence that Jaishankar is part of the conspiracy orchestrated by the Modi government to target Sikh activists living in Western countries," Dr. Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, who led the protest told journalists. Other Sikh activists raised concerns about the timing of Jaishankar's visit to Washington, D.C., considering the upcoming formation of a new U.S. government. 

In a statement, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice said, "Jaishankar is the global ambassador of India’s violent transnational repression and is responsible for operating India’s spy networks through its embassies across North America."

He 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. He claims that anyone challenging India’s territorial integrity is a terrorist, and that India, just like the U.S. killed Osama bin Laden, has the right to eliminate such individuals operating from the U.S. or any other country." There was a strong presence of D.C. police at the protests outside the State Department and the Indian Embassy.