"The Indian government has condemned the theft of a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi from a community centre in Melbourne's south-east last month, calling for the culprits to be held accountable. Victoria police are investigating the theft from the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville and have warned scrap metal dealers to be wary of people trying to sell the statue of the Indian independence leader. On Tuesday night, the spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs, Randhir Jaiswa, said the government had raised the matter with Australia."
"We strongly condemn the vandalization and removal of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne by unidentified people, he said in a statement posted to social media. 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. Vasan Srinivasan, chair of the Australian Indian Community Charitable Trust, which owns the centre, said the Indian government donated the statue to the centre in 2021."
"The statue was subjected to an attempted beheading in 2021 on the same day the then prime minister Scott Morrison unveiled the statue. Srinivasan said the statue had also been vandalised with anti-Gandhi and anti-Indian graffiti in 2023 and 2024, with the centre later removing it. Statues of Gandhi have also been the subject of controversy overseas, with some activists pointing to Gandhi's well-documented anti-black racism. Gandhi, who died in 1948, is recognised as a key leader in India's independence"
A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was stolen from the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville in Melbourne's south-east last month. India condemned the theft and raised the matter with Australian authorities, urging immediate action to recover the statue and hold culprits accountable. Victoria police are investigating and have warned scrap metal dealers to be cautious about anyone trying to sell the statue. The statue was donated by the Indian government in 2021 and is described as the only Gandhi statue in Victoria. The statue faced an attempted beheading in 2021 and was vandalised with anti-Gandhi and anti-Indian graffiti in 2023 and 2024. Statues of Gandhi have generated controversy overseas, with some activists pointing to his documented anti-Black racism.
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