India mourns Queen Elizabeth II's death, many question govt decision

New Delhi: As India observes state mourning on Sunday over Queen Elizabeth II's death, many people questioned the decision after the government's attempts to remove "symbols of slavery" by rechristening Rajpath and unveiling a new naval ensign drawing inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, fondly known as Lilibet, breathed her last on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She reigned as UK's longest-serving monarch for 70 years. She was 96.

"For a country which changed the Naval ensign saying symbols of slavery shall be removed, declaring state mourning is a contradiction," said Swapnil Narendra, a Delhi based writer.

While people around the globe grieved for the Queen and highlighted her contribution to hundreds of charities, many others

remembered how the countries colonised by the British paid for their legacy.

Ananya Bhardwaj, PhD scholar at The George Washington University, said, "As an Indian, I identify as a postcolonial subject and hearing of the one-day mourning for the Queen in India is very disheartening."

"I do not agree with people who say they mourn the Queen and not the Empire because the title through we know her comes from that imperial institution. Therefore, seeing her in the absence of the Empire she represents makes no sense," she said.

Purva Mittal, a PhD scholar and political consultant, feels that the government is following "protocol" by announcing the state mourning. "India received membership of the Commonwealth of Nations without swearing upon allegiance to the Crown. The decisions of official mourning are based on political standing and international relations."

India is a part of the Commonwealth of Nations, a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire.

Just as the news of Queen's demise started doing the rounds of the internet, several netizens on Twitter demanded that the Kohinoor diamond be brought back to India, while others criticised the government's decision of announcing state mourning for the UK's longest-serving monarch.