Melbourne: A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi, weighing over 420 kg, was stolen from outside the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne, on Monday.
The statue was a gift from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, and held significant cultural, historical, and symbolic importance for the Indian community in Australia, as reported by NDTV.
An Australia Today report states that the theft allegedly occurred around 12.50 am on Monday. Three unknown offenders used an angle grinder to cut the 426-kilogram statue from its foundation, the police said.
Photos posted on social media showed that the statue was cut at its ankle, leaving just its feet behind.
The police said that officers from the Victoria Police Knox Crime Investigation Unit were investigating the case and warned scrap metal dealers to remain vigilant for anyone attempting to sell the bronze statue and to report any suspicious activity immediately.
Santosh Kumar, a committee member at the Australian Indian Community Charitable Trust, said that the crime was partially visible on the building’s CCTV and was reported the next 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.
This isn’t the first time the statue has been attacked. Inaugurated on November 12, 2021, by former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, it was first vandalised by unknown individuals within the first 24 hours.
The vandalism occurred amid a rise of anti-India sentiment in Australia, linked to Khalistan-related extremists who have previously targeted Indian diplomatic missions and community spaces like places of worship.
The Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Boronia, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, was vandalised in July 2025, with racist graffiti, triggering a police investigation and community outrage. The same slurs were also painted on two nearby Asian-run restaurants, according to Australia Today.
