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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline February 05, 2021 | The Indian Eye 34

neWsmaKers of the WeeK

mahatma gandhi statue mahatma gandhi statue

Congressman raja indian Overseas Congress

Krishnamoorthi seeks fBi condemns the destruction

probe into vandalism ndian Overseas Congress strongly condemns the destruction of

the Mahatma Gandhi statue in California. The Indian Over-
Iseas Congress USA, an advocacy organization that stands for
democracy and freedom, strongly condemns the desecration and
destruction of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Davis’s town in Cal-
ifornia. It is more hurtful to see that the miscreants who had done
this despicable act on the eve of Jan 30th, the day when Mahatma
Gandhi paid the ultimate sacrifice for every Indian citizen’s free-
dom. IOCUSA shares the shock and anguish in this regard along
with every member of the Indian Diaspora.
It has been reported that unknown miscreants vandalized and
ripped Gandhi’s statue from the base in the central park of Davis in
California. We are grateful to the City of Davis for starting a formal
investigation and hope that the perpetrators who have done this hor-
rible deed will be found and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Mahatma Gandhi was a champion of peaceful protests and
vandalizing this revered soul’s statue would not advance anyone’s
political agenda. Still, it will only play into the hands of those who
want to bring polarization and division to our community.

ViJaY shanKer
ep Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois) on Tuesday sought an
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) probe into the dese- Biden withdraws trump’s
Rcration of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in California.
Last week, a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Central nomination of judge
Park of California’s Davis city was vandalized and desecrated by
unknown miscreants. According to the Davis Police Department, n Thursday, US President Joe Biden canceled the nomina-
the statue was ripped apart from the ankles and the top half of its tion of Indian American Vijay Shanker to be a judge of the
head broken off. The city has registered a case and it is currently ODistrict of Columbia
under investigation. Court of Appeals in Washing-
In a statement, Krishnamoorthi said: “I condemn this malicious ton. The White House told the
act in the strongest terms, and I call upon the FBI to investigate it Senate that it was withdrawing
as a possible hate crime intended to intimidate Indian-Americans, Shanker’s nomination, which
among others. The desecration of a statue of Gandhi, who cham- was made in June by former
pioned peace and non-violence and who continues to influence President Donald Trump.
countless nonviolent struggles for justice including in America, While Trump was in of-
serves as a sad reminder of how important his teachings remain.” fice and the Republicans had
Several other lawmakers have also condemned the incident. In a majority, the Senate did not
a separate statement, Rep Ami Bera (D-California) said he con- take up Shanker’s nomination.
demns the vandalization of the Gandhi statue and added that “the Shanker was one of 32 nomina-
strength of our country lies in our diversity, but also in our ability tions, 17 of them for judges, that
to peacefully express our opinions and differences.” were held over by the Trump
On Monday, in a statement, Rep Ro Khanna (D-California) administration and pulled back
said that to see the desecration of the magnificent statue “only un- by Biden.
derscores the need for more people to study Gandhi’s teachings, On June 25, Trump nom-
not unilaterally erase him from the public discourse.” He called inated Shanker to a seat on the District of Columbia Court of
the incident a “shameful act.” Appeals and Shanker was awaiting a hearing before the Sen-
The 6-foot-3, 650-pound bronze Gandhi Statue of Peace has ate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Commit-
stood in Central Park in Davis since 2016 and was a gift from the tee until Thursday’s announcement. The District of Columbia
Indian government. Continued on next page... >>

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