The protesters who defaced the statue located in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington also put up a flag of Khalistan.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting for the last 17 days at the bordering areas of Delhi against three farm laws. However, several organisations and agitators have been disassociating themselves from the call and sympathy expressed by individuals in favour of Khalistan.
"The statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Plaza in front of the Embassy was defaced by Khalistani elements on December 12, 2020,": Indian Embassy in Washington DC stated as it took cognisance of the matter.
The Embassy strongly condemned this notorious act by "hooligans masquerading as protesters against the universally respected icon of peace and justice".
The Embassy further informed that it has lodged a strong protest with US law enforcement agencies and has also taken up the matter with the US Department of State for an early investigation and action against the culprits under the applicable law.
Earlier this month, 'Khalistani' flags were seen at a protest held outside the Indian High Commission in London where protestors raised anti-India slogans.
Even during the 'Black Lives Matter' protest subsequent to George Floyd's death, agitators vandalised the Mahatma's statue in Washington on June 3. After which, an expert was called in to refurbish the Gandhi statue.
Individuals put graffiti and spray paint over it leading to the Indian mission registering a complaint with the local law enforcement agencies. The Gautam Pal designed statue was later covered and the site was cleaned up.
The Indian Embassy in the US had then registered cases with the Metropolitan Police and the National Park police. The matter was reported to the State Department and Deputy Secretary of State had called the Indian ambassador to take cognisance of the issue.
Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun had apologised for the incident. Biegun had a month later inaugurated the refurbished Mahatma Gandhi statue along with the Indian envoy to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
The statue was dedicated to former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his state visit to the US on September 16, 2000, in the presence of the then US president Bill Clinton.