New Delhi: After Mahatma Gandhi's life-sized bronze statue was vandalized in Melbourne, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, while strongly condemning the act, called it "disgraceful," PTI reported.
As per the Age newspaper report, the incident took place on Friday, hours after PM Morrison along with the Consul General of India Raj Kumar and other leaders unveiled the statue of Gandhi at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville to mark the celebrations of 75 years of India's independence.
The statue of Mahatma Gandhi was gifted by the Indian government.
“It is disgraceful and extremely disappointing to see this level of disrespect,” PM Morrison was quoted by the Age newspaper in its report.
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While noting that such attacks on cultural monuments will not be tolerated in Australia, PM Morrison said, "Whoever is responsible for this has shown great disrespect to the Australian Indian community and should be ashamed.”
"An unknown number of offenders have used a power tool to damage the bronze statue on Kingsley Close sometime between 5:30 pm on Friday, November 12 and 5:30 pm on Saturday, November 13," a police spokesperson was quoted by ABC News in its report.
"The community is very shocked and sad. I don't (understand) why anyone would do such a low act of vandalism," Surya Prakash Soni, president of the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria was quoted by ABC News in its report.