Mahatma Gandhi’s statue violated by protesters outside the Indian Embassy in US.
On Wednesday, Mahatma Gandhi‘s statue outside Indian
Embassy in Washington, DC, was violated with graffiti and spray paint by
some unruly elements of #BlackLivesMatter protesters.
US Ambassador apologizes to India:
The US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster, apologized for the vandalized statue
and assured that proper investigation will be undertaken and the ones who
violated will be given the appropriate punishment.
Ken Juster tweeted his apologies and said,” So sorry to see the desecration of
the Gandhi statue in Washington DC. Please accept our sincere apologies.
Appalled as well by the horrific death of George Floyd, the awful violence
& vandalism. We stand against prejudice & discrimination of any type.
We will recover and be better.”
The unfortunate vandalism took place on the intervening night of June 2 and 3.
The State Department was informed by the Indian embassy officials and registered
a complaint with the local law enforcement agencies. Metropolitan Police
officials started investigating the case and visited the site on Wednesday.
#BlackLivesMatter protesters vandalized the apostle of peace during the
nationwide protests that sparked after killing of a 46 year old black man George
Floyd due to police brutality. These protests resulted in damage of some of
the most prestigious and sacred American monuments.
In 2000, during the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s US
visit, on 16th September, 2000, in the presence of the then US
President Bill Clinton, Mahatma Gandhi’s statue was unveiled outside the
Indian embassy. The statue of India’s ‘Father of the Nation’ is cast in bronze
and has a height of 8 feet and 8 inches, as per the Indian Embassy website.