Visuals of violence erupted in US Capitol Hill emerged on social media after US President Donald Trump's supporters invaded and ransacked the building to disrupt the certification by Congress of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.
Moments after an extraordinary rally by Trump seeking to overturn the election, a flag-waving mob broke down barricades outside the Capitol and swarmed inside, rampaging through offices and onto the usually solemn legislative floors.
One woman died in unclear circumstances after being shot inside the Capitol and others were injured, police said, with lawmakers evacuated and handed protective masks as police fired tear gas.
Soon after, Twitter along with other social media platforms, was rife with images and videos from the violent protests, as Trump supporters waved the US flag outside Capitol.
There was, however, an Indian tricolor spotted in the crowds, suggesting Indian-origin backers were also present in the attendance.
This can be seen in a video tweeted by journalist Alejandro Alvarez @aletweetsnews in which the supporter can be seen armed with the Indian flag.
Dozens have forced their way to the top. More coming up the steps. Police are trying to bolster their numbers through the west doors but someone with a fire extinguisher is dousing them from above. The crowd only keeps cheering. pic.twitter.com/WA526jTBGo
— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) January 6, 2021
Questioning the presence of the Indian flag in the protests, BJP leader Varun Gandhi also shared the video and wrote: "Why is there an Indian flag there??? This is one fight we definitely don’t need to participate in..."
Why is there an Indian flag there??? This is one fight we definitely don’t need to participate in... pic.twitter.com/1dP2KtgHvf
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) January 7, 2021
The presence of the tricolour was spotted and pointed out by many others on the microblogging site.
Whoever is waving this Indian flag should feel ashamed. Don’t use our tricolour to participate in such violent & criminal acts in another country. pic.twitter.com/CuBMkq9Siu
— Priyanka Chaturvedi (@priyankac19) January 7, 2021
Desi Trump Supporter carrying Indian flag is in crowd... https://t.co/gFADSvFR9b pic.twitter.com/ciYBp5sJN7
— Malcom_X (@xyz_malcom) January 7, 2021
Tomorrow they'll say India is an interventionist powerSeriously, who's that joker who got the Indian flag there?#CapitolHill pic.twitter.com/EXZu7D72So
— . (@Your_Levodopa) January 7, 2021
Indian flag in the bottom left corner! https://t.co/KwFe1e6gzF
— Shoaib Daniyal (@ShoaibDaniyal) January 7, 2021
Why were Indian nationalists raising the Indian flag at the #TrumpInsurrection? pic.twitter.com/QOnOcr2idW
— Pieter Friedrich (@FriedrichPieter) January 7, 2021
During the Capitol ransack, shocking images of a man walking away with the podium and waving cheerfully at the camera went viral. He was seen wearing a cap with "Trump" written on it. While his action angered people, his name "Via Getty" caught the attention.
The confusion began when a journalist shared this man's picture and wrote 'Via Getty' in the caption. He was basically giving the photograph credit to the photo agency Getty. "Via Getty, one the rioters steals a podium from the Capitol," the journalist wrote.
(With agency inputs)