A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been stolen from outside the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne, in an incident that has shocked the Indian community in Australia. Reported by Aditya Raj Kaul from NDTV.
The statue, gifted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, carried deep cultural, historical, and symbolic significance.
According to an Australia Today report, the theft is believed to have taken place at around 12.50am on Monday. Police said three unidentified offenders used an angle grinder to cut the 426-kilogram bronze statue from its base before removing it from the site.
Images shared on social media showed the statue had been severed at the ankle, leaving only its feet attached to the foundation.
Victoria Police confirmed that officers from the Knox Crime Investigation Unit are investigating the case. Scrap metal dealers across the region have been urged to stay alert and immediately report any attempts to sell a bronze statue or any related suspicious activity.
Santosh Kumar, a committee member of the Australian Indian Community Charitable Trust, said the incident was partially captured on the building’s CCTV and was discovered the following day.
“We are sorry to see the statue of a national leader is gone...a white van came with people covered in balaclavas...details have been passed on to police,” he told Indian Link.
The statue was inaugurated on November 12, 2021, by former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. It was vandalised by unknown individuals within 24 hours of its installation, raising early concerns about its security.
The latest theft comes amid growing concern over rising anti-India sentiment in Australia. Authorities have previously linked similar acts of vandalism to Khalistan-related extremists, who have targeted Indian diplomatic missions and community spaces, including places of worship.
In July 2025, the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Boronia, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, was vandalised with racist graffiti, prompting a police investigation and widespread outrage within the community. Similar slurs were also found painted on two nearby Asian-owned restaurants, according to Australia Today.
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