New Delhi: A statue of Mahatma Gandhi located at the Vishnu temple in Richmond Hill, Canada was vandalized on Wednesday. The Local Police have informed the media that the statue was defaced with graphic words and they are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
Constable Amy Boudreau, spokesperson for York Regional Police said, “We recognize that the community-wide impact of hate crimes is far-reaching and we vigorously investigate all occurrences of hate crimes and any hate-bias incidents.”
According to the chairman of the temple, Budhendra Doobay, the statue has never been vandalized since it was installed more than 30 years ago. The nine-foot-high bronze statue was made in Delhi and unveiled in May 1988.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto and the High Commission of India in Ottawa condemned the incident and took to Twitter to say they have contacted Canadian officials about the crime.
(Vinayak)