In front of the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, the Statue of Mahatma Gandhi was severely vandalized. The incident happened due to the farmers’ ongoing protest for the Farm Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha.
The statue was vandalized by a group of Khalistani separatists who started a protest supporting the farmers against the Farm Bill laws in India. As per reports, hundreds of Sikh-American youth staged a march out on a car rally and later went in front of the India Embassy to express solidarity with India’s protesting farmers.

Later the rally was hijacked by separatist Sikhs who waved Khalistani flags. They held anti-India posters and banners as ‘The Republic Khalistan.’ A group of pro-Khalistan Sikh youths jumped to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and passed a sign over it while flashing Kirpans. On 16 September 2000, Mahatma Gandhi’s statue was unveiled by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with the presence of Former US President Bill Clinton. Then another group came over with a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image with a rope around the neck.
According to the news reports, the Indian Embassy condemned the whole incident stating – “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.”

After the protest, the Embassy lodged a complaint with US law enforcement agencies. They have also urged the Department of State for immediate investigation and strict action against the people behind this matter.
Article Written by Dikhya Mohanty
Image Source: Google
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