A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Australia’s Rowville, Melbourne was vandalised and stolen, main India to boost the matter strongly with the nation’s authorities.
The Ministry of Exterior Affairs condemned the incident, urging the Australian authorities to recuperate the statue and maintain these answerable for the incident accountable.
The 426-kg bronze statue, situated on the Australian Indian Group Centre in Rowville, was stolen within the early hours of January 12, Australia Right now reported.
The statue was allegedly minimize from its base utilizing an angle grinder, leaving solely the ft. In accordance with the Australia Right now report, the bronze statue was then allegedly minimize into items and stolen.
Statue focused by vandals quickly after its inauguration
The Mahatma Gandhi statue was a present by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, and was inaugurated by former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison in 2021, as a logo of sturdy ties between India and Australia.
Nonetheless, the statue was focused and vandalised in November, 2021 inside a day of its inauguration, drawing condemnation in each India and Australia. Nonetheless, no public arrests had been made at the moment, Australia Right now reported.
The sooner occasion of vandalism occurred at a time of heightened tensions linked to Khalistan-related extremist exercise, which had additionally beforehand focused diplomatic missions, neighborhood areas and symbols related to India in a number of Western nations, based on the Australia Right now report.
India strongly condemns incident, probe underway
Ministry of Exterior Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, whereas responding to a question on the matter, stated, “We strongly condemn the vandalisation and removing of the Mahatma Gandhi statue situated on the Australian Indian Group Centre in Rowville, Melbourne, by unidentified folks.”
Jaiswal stated that the MEA had “strongly raised the matter with Australian authorities and urged them to take speedy motion to recuperate the lacking statue and maintain the culprits accountable.”
In the meantime, the Victoria Police Knox Crime Investigation Unit launched a probe into the incident. In an announcement to Australia Right now, the police stated the statue was stolen by three unknown people from the charity premises on Kingsley Shut, Rowville, at roughly 12.50 am.
Police has warned scrap metallic sellers to stay alert for anybody who makes an attempt to promote the bronze statue, and has additional urged them to report any suspicious exercise instantly.
