US-Indians protest Mahatma Gandhi statue desecration in California; want vandals punished

Members of the Indian-American community in the US protested against Khalistani atrocities and the vandalism of the Gandhi statue in California's Davis on Sunday. Indians from all across North California came together to reach the City of Davis partake in the peaceful protest against the atrocious vandalism. 

On Sunday, Indian-Americans affiliated to the Indian Association of Sacramento had organized a car rally and peace vigil in the city of Davis to express sorrow and protest against the vandalism of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue. Local leaders and city council members had expressed their views and condemned the act of violence. Before the vigil started at the park, the organizers had a car rally, in which 50-60 cars had participated.

The vigil was organized at Central Park in Davis California. It was the place where Gandhi’s statue gifted by Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR) was unveiled a few years ago. Some local anti-India and anti-Gandhi Sikh Khalistani supporters had tried to interrupt the event by shouting anti-Gandhi and anti-India slogans. Despite the police being present at the venue, the miscreants managed to show their aggression. 

In the true Gandhian spirit, however, the protesters showed remarkable grace and self-control. One of them, when handed the mic, said, "I think it's very important when we have these kinds of differences; that we can talk to one another" amid jeering from the unruly invaders. Another, a Caucasian man, said "I believe Gandhi as he was to me, in the Vietnam war era. He was an inspiration worldwide."

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Mahatma Gandhi Statue Destroyed 

On Saturday, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Central Park of California's Davis was vandalized and desecrated by unknown miscreants. The 6-ft tall, 294 kg bronze statue of Gandhi which stood in the Central Park of the US city of Davis was severed, broken, and ripped from the base, triggering massive outrage among Indian-Americans who have demanded that the officials investigate it as an act of hate crime.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that India strongly condemns the malicious and despicable act against a universally respected icon of peace and justice, adding that its embassy in Washington DC has taken up the matter with the US Dept of State for a thorough investigation and appropriate action. The MEA further stated that the Consulate General of India in San Francisco has separately taken up the matter with the City of Davis and local law enforcement authorities. 

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