Mahatma Gandhi`s statue vandalised in Punjab, probe underway

Bathinda: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was vandalized by some unidentified people at a public park in Ramman Mandi here, said police on Saturday.

The incident took place on an intervening night between Thursday and Friday, they said. Locals strongly condemned the incident when they came to know about the vandalism.

Station House Officer (Sadar) Harjot Singh Mann said they are investigating the matter, and have registered a case at Ramman Mandi Police Station.

Ashok Kumar Singla, president of District Urban Congress, demanded immediate arrest of those who were behind the incident.

The CCTV footage of the area is being examined to trace the culprits

Meanwhile, Ministers in Canada have condemned the vandalisation of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), while local law enforcement is investigating it as a "hate-motivated incident".

The desecration occurred in the early hours of Wednesday as the statue was found sprayed with graffiti that was pro-Khalistan along with abusive terms. The 20-foot-tall bronze statue is situated in the Peace Park at the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill in the GTA.

India had issued a formal diplomatic communique, called a note verbale, on Wednesday to Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign ministry, seeking urgent police investigation and action to arrest those responsible for the vandalisation. The message stressed the incident had caused "a sense of panic and insecurity" within the Indo-Canadian community.

In a tweet on Thursday, Canada's foreign minister Melanie Joly said, "Hate has no place in Canada."

She added she stood with Hindu communities in "denouncing the desecration" of the statue. "People should be able to go to their places of worship in peace and with respect," she concluded.