INDIA PROTESTS AS VANDALS TARGET GANDHI STATUE IN U.S.

NEW DELHI: India on Saturday condemned the vandalising of Mahatma Gandhi statue in California by unidentified persons, the second such incident in the US in little more than a month, and sought a thorough investigation into the matter.

The statue in the city of Davis in California, which was gifted by the Indian government in 2016, was vandalised by “unknown persons” on January 28, the external affairs ministry said.

The six-foot bronze statue was broken and ripped from its base within a park, outraging Indianamericans across the US. “The government of India strongly condemns this malicious and despicable act against a universally respected icon of peace and justice,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Indian embassy in Washington took up the issue with the US state department and called for a “thorough investigation into the incident and appropriate action against those responsible for this act”. India’s consulate in San Francisco in California state separately took up the matter with the city of Davis and local law enforcement authorities, who initiated an investigation. The mayor of Davis “deeply regretted the incident” and said authorities had initiated a probe, the statement said.