400kg Gandhi Statue Gifted by India to Australia Stolen in Its Entirety

Cutting and Stealing the Entire Statue with a Grinder

The bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi donated by the Indian government to Australia disappeared within a single day, leaving only its two feet behind.

According to Indian broadcaster NDTV and other local media on the 15th, the Gandhi statue donated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to an Indian residential area in Melbourne, Australia, was stolen in its entirety overnight. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated in a statement, "We have strongly raised this issue with the Australian authorities and urged them to take immediate steps to recover the statue and punish the culprits."

The Mahatma Gandhi statue donated by the Indian government to Australia (left) and how it looked after being stolen on the 3rd. Instagram capture

Australian media outlet Australia Today reported that the theft occurred at around 12:50 a.m., and that the perpetrators are believed to be a trio whose identities remain unknown. They used a grinder to cut the bronze statue off its pedestal and then carried away the torso, which weighs 426 kilograms. Local police are tracking the suspects based on closed-circuit (CC) TV footage and other recordings, and have specifically asked scrap metal dealers to be vigilant and report immediately if anyone attempts to sell a bronze sculpture.

The statue was installed in 2021 by former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. It was a symbolic monument honoring Indian immigrants in Australia, but it had also suffered several indignities over the years. According to NDTV, the statue was damaged for the first time just 24 hours after its unveiling.

The outlet reported that, recently in Australia, growing anti-India sentiment has led to attacks on various Indian symbols and religious facilities. In July last year, a Hindu temple in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne was vandalized with racist graffiti.

In September last year, far-right group protests called "March for Australia" were held across the country. The protests specifically targeted Indian immigrants, shocking Australian society.

Yogesh Bhatt, president of the Hindu organization Vivekananda Association, protested at the time, saying, "The Indian community is highly educated, peace-loving, and law-abiding, and is an important part of Australia's multicultural society," adding, "We have significantly contributed to Australia's growth in various fields such as technology, healthcare, education, and business. We do not understand why we, who pay our taxes diligently, have become targets."