The vandalism at the height of a nationwide movement following the custodial death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 was condemned by top US lawmakers.
- Associated Press Washington
- Last updated: July 3, 2020, 08:24 AM IST
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The statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which was vandalized by unknown miscreants last month, was restored here on Thursday.
The historic statue of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, here in front of the Indian Embassy, was open to the public in a simple ceremony attended by the Deputy Secretary of State, Stephen Edward Biegun.
Biegun joined Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu “to pay tribute to Gandhi at the restored Mahatma Gandhi Plaza” in front of the embassy in central Washington DC, the embassy said in a tweet.
“Mahatma’s message of truth and non-violence, peace and harmony continues to inspire people in India and the United States and around the world,” the embassy said.
The statue was vandalized with graffiti and spray paint by unknown persons on June 2.
After the incident, the Indian embassy raised the matter with the US State Department.
It partnered with State Department, Metropolitan Police and National Park Service for a speedy restoration of the statue in the park.
The vandalism at the height of a nationwide movement following the custodial death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 was widely condemned by top US lawmakers and the Trump campaign.
US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster, said: “I am sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Washington DC. Please accept our sincere apologies.”
“Also shocked by the horrific death of George Floyd and the horrific violence and vandalism. We are against prejudice and discrimination of any kind. We will recover and get better,” he said in a tweet.
One of the few statues of a foreign leader on a federal land in Washington DC, the statue of Gandhi was inaugurated on September 16, 2000 during his state visit by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the presence of then US President Bill Clinton. visit to the US.