A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi weighing 426 kg has been stolen from an Indian community centre in Rowville, a suburb of Melbourne in Australia.
The statue, installed at the Australian Indian Community Centre, was reportedly stolen in the early hours of January 12. According to Australia Today, the statue was sliced away from its pedestal with an angle grinder, leaving the feet intact. The statue was sliced into smaller parts before being stolen.
How the theft unfolded
The Victoria Police reported that the crime took place at 12.50 am, when three persons unknown to the police entered the charitable organisation's premises at Kingsley Close, Rowville. The bronze statue weighing more than four quintals was stolen from the premises in the dead of night.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, police have since alerted scrap metal dealers in the area to be on the lookout for any attempts to sell large amounts of bronze or any other material that could be a part of the stolen statue.
Also Read | Who is Vladimir Alexeyev? Senior Russian military intelligence official shot outside Moscow home
A symbol targeted before
The Gandhi statue was gifted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and inaugurated in 2021 by then Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The statue was meant to represent the strong cultural and diplomatic relationship between India and Australia.
As per a report by Australia Today, however, the statue was vandalised just a day after its dedication in November 2021, and this sparked widespread criticism from leaders and communities in both India and Australia. There were no reported arrests related to the vandalism.
The report further stated that the earlier vandalism took place during a period of heightened tensions, when Khalistan-linked extremist groups had also targeted Indian diplomatic missions, community spaces and symbols in multiple Western nations.
India raises matter with Australia
In response to the recent events, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that the matter had been raised strongly with the Australian government. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “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.”
He further said that MEA had “strongly raised the matter with Australian authorities and urged them to take immediate action to recover the missing statue and hold the culprits accountable.”
The Victoria Police Knox Crime Investigation Unit has initiated an investigation into the theft. The police stated that investigations are still ongoing and that they are appealing to the public for any information that may help in tracking down the stolen statue and the suspects.
