Vandalized Gandhi statue covered up for restoration

WASHINGTON: Miscreants defaced with graffiti the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington DC as largely peaceful protests continued to roil the US capital and major American cities. The statue has now been covered up for restoration.
The incident appears to have occurred Tuesday night, and the Park Police, under whose jurisdiction the triangular space where the statue is located, are investigating the vandalism. US officials apologized for the incident.
“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,” the US Ambassador to India Ken Juster tweeted.

Protests in Washington DC have largely been peaceful after initial bouts of arson and violence near the White House. While there have been several instances of looting in many places across the country, there have also been many recorded cases of black activists and community leaders berating looters – who in some cases are young white men – telling them their actions will only bring trouble to the black community and the BlackLivesMatter movement.
The Gandhi statue in front of the Embassy was unveiled by President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister AB Vajpayee in 2000. The 8 ft 8 in statue was sculpted by Gautam Pal from Kolkata and is mounted on a 16 ton plinth of ruby red granite from Ilkal, Karnataka. It bears the inscription “My life is my message.”