Washington DC – There was widespread reporting in the Indian media about the vandalization of Mahatma Gandhi statue being in front of the Indian Embassy recently.
Asked to comment on the incident – after which the statue was wrapped in sheets so as to obscure it from public view – the Embassy Spokesperson told IAT in a response: “Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in front of the Embassy was vandalized with graffiti/spray paint by unknown persons during the late hours of Tuesday, 2 June 2020.”
“The Embassy has taken up the matter with the US Department of State for early investigation into the matter, as also with the Metropolitan Police and National Park Service,” the statement continued.
“The Embassy is working with the US Department of State, Metropolitan Police and National Park Service for expeditious restoration of the statue at the park,” the Embassy Spokesperson concluded.
There was no response, however, to the query about what the Embassy learnt from its surveillance cameras and who first noticed it.”
In a tweet, ANI had blamed the Black Lives Matter movement, but most of the leaders and supporters of the movement that IAT spoke to denied it, saying: “This is not possible as Gandhi is revered in the US across generations and racial divides as he is considered the Guru and inspiration of Martin Luther King Jr.”
Expressing his sentiments to the people of India, Ken Juster, US Ambassador to India tweeted: “So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Wash, 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 & be better.”