Indian-American groups condemn attack on US Capitol

Indian-American groups have strongly condemned the storming of the Capitol Hill by president Donald Trump's supporters, describing the incident as an assault on the US democracy.

"The violent attack on the United States Capitol was disgusting. This act of sedition, stoked by Donald Trump, is a threat to our country and to every American's rights and wellbeing. It must not be tolerated,” said Ajay Bhutoria, national finance committee member of Biden 2020, and one of the vice chairs of the presidential inauguration committee.

He asserted that the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect the true America.

"The United States of America built the most powerful economy in the world in no small part due to the stability of our government and the peaceful transfer of power we have enjoyed for generations," he said.

Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF) in a statement condemned in the strongest terms the assault on the Capitol by "extremists" in a misguided attempt to overturn the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

“Violence has no place in democratic protest. Disinformation intended to sow distrust in our democratic processes has no place in a democracy. We strongly denounce those who encouraged and enabled this violence,” SALDEF executive director Kiran Kaur Gill said.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) also condemned the violence, chaos, and anarchy that unfolded at the US Capitol building on Wednesday.

It was a sad day for America and for democracy at large, it said in a statement.

“Hindu Americans are uniquely attune to the foundations of and threats to democracy, as many of us trace our heritage to the Republic of India, the world’s largest democracy. Hindu values and ideals are American values and ideals and the bonds between our people, our commitment to freedom, equality, and representative democracy remain unshaken,” the HAF said.

The Alliance to Save and Protect America from Infiltration by Religious Extremists and Coalition of Americans for Pluralism in India condemned the presence of Indian tricolour by rioting mobs at the Capitol Hill.