Hindu groups seek apology from Kamala Harris' niece for tweeting image depicting her aunt as Durga

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WASHINGTON (PTI):

Hindu groups in the US have sought an apology from the niece of Senator Kamala Harris for tweeting an "offensive" image, which depicted the Democratic vice presidential nominee as goddess Durga.

The tweet has now been deleted by Meena Harris, 35, who is a lawyer, a children's book author and the founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, an organisation that works to bring awareness to intersectional social causes.

"You're tweeting a caricature of the feminine divine, Maa Durga, with faces superimposed, deeply aggrieved many Hindus globally," Suhag A Shukla of the Hindu American Foundation said in a tweet on Monday.

Rishi Bhutada of the Hindu American Political Action Committee said the "offensive" picture was not created by Meena Harris herself. It had been circulating on WhatsApp before her tweet, and the Biden campaign confirmed to him that the image was not created by it.

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"Given that, I believe that an apology should come from Meena Harris even though she did delete the tweet and no one else. Our religious iconography should not be used in the service of politics in America." Bhutada said.

In the image, Kamala Harris, depicted as goddess Durga, was seen killing US President Donald Trump, who was depicted as buffalo demon 'Mahishasura'. The image also showed Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden as a lion, the 'vahana' (vehicle) of the goddess.

"If you think you are going to win Hindu votes by mocking us, think again. This image is highly offensive and insulting to Hindus. Our Divinities are NOT cultural curios for you to mock and trivialise. And you delete without an apology?" noted author Shefali Vaidya said in a tweet. (PTI)