Mahatma Gandhi’s statue vandalised in Canada

Hyderabad: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi located at the Vishnu temple in Richmond Hill, Canada, was vandalised on Wednesday.

“We are distressed at the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vishnu temple in Richmond Hill. This criminal, hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We are in contact with Canadian authorities to investigate this hate crime,” the Indian Consulate General in Toronto tweeted.

Quoting the tweet, India’s High Commission in Ottawa stated that it is deeply anuished by this hate crime that seeks to terrorise the Indian community. It also stated that India has approached the Canadian government to investigate and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice swiftly.

According to the reports, the local police described this as hate and a ‘bias-motivated incident’. “Someone defaced the statue with ‘graphic words,’ including ‘rapist’ and ‘Khalistan,” said Constable Amy Boudreau, spokesperson for York Regional Police.

“We recognize that community-wide impact of hate crimes is far-reaching and we do vigorously investigate all occurrences of hate crimes and any hate bias incidents,” she added.

The nine-foot high bronze statue was made in Delhi and unveiled in May 1988.