Unknown miscreants have vandalised, broken and ripped from the base a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a park in the US state of California, evoking a strong response from India which sought a thorough investigation and appropriate action against those responsible for the “despicable act”. The incident has also shocked and outraged Indian-Americans across the country, who have demanded that the officials investigate it as an incident of hate crime.
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 statue is being removed and will be stored in a safe place until it can be evaluated, said Davis City councilman Lucas Frerichs. Investigators are still unsure of when exactly the statue was torn down or what the motive may have been, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Seeing as it’s a cultural icon…