KOLKATA: U.S. Consul General Kathy Giles-Diaz and West Bengal Cabinet Minister Dilip Ghosh took to the streets of Kolkata on Monday to honor a security partnership between India and the United States. The leaders celebrated the first Joy-Freedom Ride motorcycle rally, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the American Center.
The event, part of the Freedom 250 campaign, celebrated decades of partnership built on mutual trust and shared values, and the memory of five Kolkata Police officers killed defending the American Center from a terrorist attack in 2002: Pijush Sarker, Ujjal Burman, Suresh Hembram, Anup Mondal, and Sheikh Ashraf Ali.
“Just as a motorcycle needs two wheels to move forward, the U.S.-India partnership relies on our nations working together,” Consul General Giles-Diaz said. “Our shared vision for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific drives us forward. This vision requires resilience and vigilance, and dedicated people, like the Kolkata Police. What grew out of the 2002 attack is the network of partners who help us protect the ideas of freedom and peace every day.”
The rally brought together more than 250 riders representing American diplomats, Indian police officers, motorcycle enthusiasts, and business partners in an early morning city tour starting at the American Center and passing the Victoria Memorial, Princep Ghat, and Laal Bazar, home to the Kolkata Police Headquarters.
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The rally was organized in partnership with U.S. Consulate Kolkata’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), which fosters security cooperation between U.S. diplomatic missions and the American private sector abroad. Speed Group, PepsiCo, and Hyatt Regency Hotel Kolkata played key roles in supporting the event, providing organizational support, refreshments, and hospitality, reflecting the vital role the private sector plays in advancing shared security goals.
The 2026 Joy-Freedom Ride marks the first of what the Consulate hopes will become an annual tradition, a living reminder that the U.S.-India security partnership, built on sacrifice and sustained by shared purpose, continues to move forward.