Washington [US]: Indian Embassy in the United States said on Saturday it has lodged a strong protest with the law enforcement agencies against the "mischievous act" by "Khalistani elements" who masqueraded as protesters and defaced the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Washington.
According to a statement by the Embassy, "The statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in front of the Embassy was defaced by Khalistani elements on 12 December 2020. The Embassy strongly condemns this mischievous act by hooligans masquerading as protesters against the universally respected icon of peace and justice."
"The Embassy has lodged a strong protest with US law enforcement agencies and has also taken up the matter with the US Department of State for an early investigation and action against the culprits under the applicable law," it added.
The statue of Mahatma Gandhi located in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington was defaced on Saturday during a protest organised in support of farmers who are agitating against the recently enacted agricultural laws in India. 'Khalistan' flags were also sighted at the spot.
"This protest is not particularly against the government but in support of the farmers. It is against the current administration there. We see this bill as eradication of our culture," Mansimran Singh, one of the organisers of the protest said.
"For me, we are just another group that supports the farmers. Where does Khalistan come from? In the last 35 years, you have seen this activism grow. Why doesn't India ask that question to its own people or its own government as to why we have this. In America, when someone talks about secession we ask them why," he said.
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Speaking on the defacing of Mahatma Gandhi's statue, he said, "In America, all confederate statues were vandalised and now they have been taken down. So why not him?"
Echoing similar opinions, Manmeet Singh, an activist, said that the protest held in front of the Embassy was "peaceful and non-violent".
"We have been working on this issue for 14 years. I have personally witnessed the agrarian crisis like in Punjab and Maharashtra. Our protest was definitely a peaceful, non-violent protest," he said.
A yellow coloured flag was seen draped on the head and face of the statue along with cardboard cutouts and placards propped or pasted on it.
Earlier this year the Mahatma's statue was vandalised on June 3 during the George Floyd protests by unknown persons. Post the desecration, an expert was called in to refurbish the statue.
The statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on September 16, 2000, in the presence of then US president Bill Clinton
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and several other states have been protesting for the last 17 days at the borders of Delhi against the three newly enacted farm laws.
(ANI)
Also read: Supporters of India farmers deface Gandhi statue in Washington
