Take immediate action: In the quiet hours of Monday morning, a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi was violently cut from its base outside the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne. Weighing 426 kg, the revered statue—a gift from India’s ICCR and unveiled by former PM Scott Morrison in 2021—was reduced to just its feet, the rest vanished. CCTV captured glimpses of three masked figures in a white van, moving swiftly under the dim streetlights. Victoria Police’s Knox Crime Investigation Unit is investigating and has alerted scrap metal dealers to be vigilant. The theft echoes rising anti-India sentiments in the region, following earlier attacks on Indian community sites. Authorities urge the public to come forward with any information.
India Demands Action After Gandhi Statue Stolen, Vandalised in Melbourne
