A life-sized statue of Mahatma Gandhi, located at Union Square near Manhattan, was vandalised on Saturday.
The action was strongly condemned as "despicable" by the Consulate General of India, triggering shock and disappointment among the Indian-American community.
The incident took place early on Saturday when the statue was defaced by some unknown persons, the Consulate General of India in New York said.
"The Consulate condemns this act of vandalism in the strongest terms," it said, adding that the matter has been taken up with local authorities.
"The statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Union Square in New York City was defaced by some unknown persons on February 4, 2022. The Consulate condemns this act of vandalism in the strongest terms. The matter has been taken up with the local authorities as well as the US State Department for immediate investigation and appropriate action against those responsible for this despicable act," India in New York tweeted.
Last year, a 6-foot-3, 650-pound bronze Gandhi Statue of Peace in Central Park of California's Davis city was vandalised and desecrated by unknown miscreants.
2021's act had triggered a massive outrage among the Indian-American community who demanded that the officials investigate it as an act of hate crime. The statue was a gift from the government of India since 2016.
( With inputs from ANI )
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