US: Miscreants vandalize Mahatma Gandhi’s Statue in California

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was ripped down by some unknown miscreants from the base earlier this week in the US state of California, creating shock and agitation amongst the Indian-Americans across the country. They have demanded a thorough probe in the case.

The 6-ft tall, 650-pound (294 kg) bronze statue of Gandhi, in the Central Park of the City of Davis in Northern California, appeared to have been sawed off at the ankles and half its face was severed and missing, local Davis Enterprise daily reported.

The desecrated statue of Mahatma Gandhi was found by a park employee in the wee hours of January 27. Investigators are unsure of when exactly the statue was torn down. It has been removed and stored in a safe place for evaluation. The incident took place just days before the 73rd death anniversary of the Father of the Nation.

The statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which was donated by the Government of India to the city of Davis in 1916, was installed by the city council four years ago amidst protests from anti-India organizations.

Organisation for Minorities in India (OFMI), which spearheaded these protests and opposed the installation of the statue. The City of Davis had however voted to go ahead with the installation. Since then OFMI had launched a campaign to remove the Gandhi statue.

Meanwhile, the Indian external affairs ministry condemned the act of vandalism and sought a thorough investigation into the matter. “The government of India strongly condemns this malicious and despicable act against a universally respected icon of peace and justice,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.