Mahatma Gandhi statute gifted to Australia in 2021 stolen; MEA says recover it

The bronze statue was cut from its base, leaving only the feet. Local police told scrap dealers to be vigilant about anyone attempting to sell it

Updated on: Feb 3, 2026, 21:10:26 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar, NEW DELHI

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India on Tuesday condemned the theft of a Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Melbourne and said it has strongly raised the issue with Australian authorities to recover the missing figurine.

The bronze statue was allegedly removed from the Rowville community centre in Melbourne in the early hours of January 12, according to Australian media reports.

The Knox Crime Investigation Unit of Australia’s Victoria state is currently investigating the crime.

“We strongly condemn the vandalisation and removal of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne, by unidentified people,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

“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,” he said.

The statue, weighing 420 kg, was cut from its base with an angle grinder, leaving only the feet. Local police suspect it was stolen by three unidentified offenders and have warned local scrap metal dealers to be vigilant about anyone attempting to sell the statue.

The statue was gifted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and was unveiled by former prime minister Scott Morrison in 2021 as a symbol of the strong ties between India and Australia.

Indian community leaders in Melbourne have expressed shock and called for stronger protection for such cultural sites.

The same statue has previously been targeted by vandals. Within a day of its inauguration in 2021, the statue was vandalised by unidentified persons, prompting condemnation in Australia and India.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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