A violent group of Khalistani separatists desecrated the Mahatma Gandhi statue in front of the Indian embassy on Saturday during a demonstration by young Sikh-Americans in support of farmers protesting against Indian agricultural laws.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has described the desecration of the Mahatma Gandhi statue outside the Indian embassy here as “appalling” and said his reputation should be respected, especially in the US capital.
A violent group of Khalistani separatists desecrated the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the Indian embassy in Washington on Saturday during a demonstration by young Sikh-Americans in support of farmers protesting against recently enacted farm laws in India.
Responding to a question about the incident during a press conference, McEnany said: “It’s terrible. No statue or monument should be desecrated and certainly not one like that of Gandhi, who truly fought for the values America represents of peace, justice and freedom. “
“It is shocking that it happened more than once and we believe that Mahatma Gandhi’s reputation should be respected, especially here in the US capital,” he said.
A State Department spokesman said Tuesday that they were aware of the recent protests outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC.
“We take our responsibility to ensure the security of foreign missions in the United States very seriously and we are discussing the recent incident with the Indian Embassy,” the spokesman said.
Hundreds of Sikhs from in and around the Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia metropolitan area, along with many from other states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina, held a car rally on Saturday Indian embassy in the city center. Washington DC, where they gathered to express their solidarity with protesting Indian farmers.
Peaceful protest hijacked?
However, the peaceful protest was soon hijacked by Sikh separatists carrying Khalistani flags with anti-India posters and banners.
During the protest, many of the young pro-Khalistan Sikhs displaying kirpans jumped on the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and hung a poster on it. The group raised anti-India and pro-Khalistan slogans.
The Indian embassy condemned the “malicious act” of the hooligans disguised as protesters.
“The statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Square in front of the embassy was defaced by Khalistani elements on December 12, 2020. The embassy strongly condemns this malicious act by hooligans posing as protesters against the universally respected icon of peace and justice “. it said in a statement.
The Embassy said it has lodged a strong protest with US law enforcement agencies and has also taken the matter to the State Department for early investigation and action against the culprits under applicable law.
The Mahatma Gandhi statue was unveiled by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the presence of then-US President Bill Clinton on September 16, 2000, after the US Congress passed a law in 1998.
This is the second time the Gandhi statue has been desecrated by criminals this year.
The first such incident was reported on the middle night of June 2-3 when unknown criminals vandalized his statue in front of the Indian embassy in the United States with graffiti and spray paint, leading to the mission to file a report with local law enforcement agencies.
The vandalism of the statue of the Apostle of Peace occurred during the week of nationwide protests against the murder in custody of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
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