Mahatma Gandhi statue vandalized in the United States
Unknown miscreants have vandalized, broken, and ripped from the base a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a park in the US state of California, shocking and outraging Indian-Americans across the country, who have demanded that the officials investigate it as an incident of hate crime. The vandalized statue was found by a park employee in the early hours of January 27, the police said.
India has taken up the matter with the US
Meanwhile, India strongly condemned the vandalization and took up the matter with the US, seeking appropriate action against those responsible. "The government of India strongly condemns this malicious and despicable act against a universally respected icon of peace and justice," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. It said the Indian embassy in Washington has taken up the matter with the US Department of State.
Statue is being removed; will be stored in safe place
The 6-ft tall, 294 kg bronze statue, in the Central Park of the City of Davis, Northern California, appeared to have been sawed off at the ankles and half its face was severed and missing, local Davis Enterprise daily reported. "The statue is being removed and will be stored in a safe place until it can be evaluated," said Davis City Councilman Lucas Frerichs.
Investigators yet to find a motive
Investigators are still unsure of when exactly the statue was torn down or what the motive may have been, The Sacramento Bee reported. "Seeing as it's a cultural icon to a portion of the people in Davis, we are taking it very seriously," Deputy Chief Paul Doroshov of the Davis Police Department was quoted as saying by the daily.
The Gandhi statue was installed amidst protests from anti-Gandhi organizations
The statue of Gandhi, which was donated by the Indian government to the city of Davis, was installed by the city council four years ago amidst protests from anti-Gandhi and anti-India organizations.
Indian-Americans have expressed deep anguish and shock at the incident
Organization for Minorities in India (OFMI), which spearheaded these protests and opposed the installation of the statue in the city of Davis, had however voted to go ahead with the installation. But since then OFMI had launched a campaign to remove the Gandhi statue. Indian-Americans have expressed deep anguish and shock at the incident.
Anti-India organizations running hate campaigns against Indian icons: FISI
"An atmosphere of hatred was being created by many anti-India and Hinduphobic radical organizations like OFMI and other Khalistani separatists for many years now," said Guarang Desai of Friends of India Society International (FISI). "They have not only run hate campaigns against Indian icons but have been at the forefront of attempts to push Hinduphobia and erase India from California school textbooks," Desai said.
OFMI wanted to replace India with South Asia in textbooks
In 2016, the OFMI was part of a campaign to remove the word "India" from the sixth and seventh grade California school textbooks and replace it with "South Asia." After massive protests from parents and students, the California Department of Education dropped the controversial changes.
Investigate the incident as hate crime, demands Hindu American Foundation
Appalled at the desecration, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has demanded that the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI investigate the incident as a hate crime. "It was likely done with the intention of intimidating the Indian-American community," said HAF California Advocacy Director Easan Katir, a former member of the Davis Business and Finance Commission.
Indian-Americans claim the incident was about intimidating Indians and Indian-Americans
"We urge local police to apprehend the perpetrators and call upon the city council to resurrect the statue as a statement that such destructive acts are not in harmony with our community standards," Katir added. Make no mistake, HAF said in a tweet, this is not about the legacy of Gandhi as a person, but about intimating India and Indian-Americans.
Gandhi's statue has been desecrated before
Meanwhile, the vandalism was praised on Twitter by a pro-Khalistan group In California, who shared photos of the destroyed statue, and others who stated today is a good day. However, this is not the first time a statue of Gandhi has been desecrated. In December 2020, Khalistani-supporters had desecrated a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Washington, DC in front of the Indian Embassy.
