'Strongly Condemn Vandalisation of Mahatma Gandhi Statue in Melbourne': MEA
New Delhi: India strongly condemned the vandalisation and removal of a Mahatma Gandhi statue from the Australian Indian Community Centre in Melbourne, and has urged Australian authorities to take immediate action to recover it and ensure its accountability.
"We strongly condemn the vandalisation and removal of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne by unidentified people," official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday, February 3. "We have strongly raised the matter with Australian authorities and urged them to take immediate action to recover the missing statue and hold the culprits accountable."
Victoria Police, in a statement, confirmed that three unknown offenders used an angle grinder to cut the 426 kilogram bronze statue from its foundations at approximately 12:50 AM on January 12. The theft occurred at the charity premises on Kingsley Close, Rowville, and was partially captured on the building's CCTV cameras.
Santosh Kumar OAM, committee member for the Australian Indian Community Charitable Trust which administers the building, told Indian Link the crime was reported to police the next day. "We are sorry to see the statue of a national leader is gone. A white van came with people covered in balaclavas. Details have been passed on to police," he said.
Kumar the diaspora media outlet that he believes the statue is likely irretrievable at this stage given the incident occurred almost four weeks ago and the indication of premeditation suggested by the balaclava, angle grinder and van. "I think it has been damaged, they have cut it up. It's the second attempt; one more time they damaged it, so this time they cut it and dragged it in their van," he said.
Police have warned scrap metal dealers to look out for any sales of the bronze statue.
The statue was a gift from the Ministry of External Affairs’ cultural diplomacy wing, Indian Council for Cultural Relations and was inaugurated on November 12, 2021 by former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, according to The Australia Today. The Rajasthan-made statue marked the strengthening of cross-cultural ties during the 75th Year of Indian Independence.
This is the second instance of vandalism towards the statue.
Within 24 hours of its unveiling in November 2021, an attempt was made to decapitate it. That earlier incident occurred amid heightened tensions linked to Khalistan-related extremist activity, which has previously targeted Indian diplomatic missions, community spaces and symbols associated with India in several Western countries.
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