Vandalised Mahatma Gandhi Statue in Washington refurbished and inaugurated – art and culture
A month after it was vandalized, a statue of the Father of Our Nation in Washington DC has been refurbished. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Thursday morning (local time) along with the Indian envoy to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu. Sharing pictures of the statue on the Indian Embassy website, the Embassy wrote, “Mahatma’s message of truth and non-violence, peace and harmony continues to inspire people of India and United States and all across the world”.,
The statue, in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington, was vandalised on June 3 during the George Floyd protests by unknown person. Post the desecration, an expert was called in to refurbish the Gandhi statue.
Bapu was one of the few foreign leaders whose statue was on a federal land in Washington DC, and was dedicated by former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on September 16, 2000, during his state visit to the US, in the presence of the then US president Bill Clinton .
Expressing disappointment on the incident, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun had earlier apologised for the incident. The matter was reported immediately to the State Department and Deputy Secretary of State had called the Indian ambassador to address the issue.
United States: Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun along with the Indian envoy to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Washington today. The statue, situated at a park in Washington DC, was vandalised on June 3 during the George Floyd protests. pic.twitter.com/QjscFMMtxR
— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2020
US Ambassador to India, Ken Juster expressed his disappointment and sadness regarding the vandalism in a tweet, writing, “So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Washington DC. Please accept our sincere apologies. Appalled as well by the horrific death of George Floyd and the awful violence and vandalism. We stand against prejudice & discrimination of any type. We will recover and be better.”
The Indian Embassy in the US also registered cases with the Metropolitan Police and the National Park police, and the matter is being investigated. The US officials have also requested to be associated with the restoration of the statue.
The statue was vandalised with graffiti and spray painting, prompting the mission to register a complaint with the local law enforcement agencies. The desecrated statue of Gandhi, the design of which was created by Gautam Pal, was later covered and the site has been cleaned up.
(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)
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