By IANS
New York : Indian Independence Day celebrations in New Jersey turned controversial when municipal authorities removed a flag honouring US prisoners of war (PoW) to hoist the Indian tricolour, leading to angry protests by war veterans.
The ceremony was held Wednesday at a war memorial in front of the town hall in Edison that features a granite memorial for those killed during WWI, WWII and the Korean War.
“What a disgrace,” said Lillian Kolbus, a 26-year resident of Edison. “That’s a monument for PoWs. This is America, we should be one people.”
Protestors and several war veterans waved PoW flags and spoke against the ceremony. When the Indian flag was hoisted with the American flag, some in the crowd loudly shouted for it to be taken down, NJ.com, a news portal reported.
“It’s no longer Edison, it’s little India,” said Rosemary Wilson, a 30-year Edison resident.
The city’s mayor Jun Choi hosted the ceremony along with several Edison police officials. Hundreds of Indian Americans gathered for the event, which featured speeches and the singing of the American and Indian national anthems.
“Our purpose was to have recognition for a significant ethnic group in our community,” Choi said. “We all live in the same township, on the same planet.”
After the ceremony, municipal workers returned the PoW flag to the war memorial’s flagpole, and the Indian flag flew under it.
Edison has grappled with racial tensions in the past. Last summer, ethnic Indians and non-Indians hurled racial epithets at one another outside town hall during protests over alleged police brutality against an Indian man during July 4 (American Independence Day) celebrations.