India, Feb. 3 -- A bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Australia's Rowville, Melbourne was vandalised and stolen, leading India to raise the matter strongly with the country's authorities.

The Ministry of External Affairs condemned the incident, while urging the Australian authorities to recover the statue and hold those responsible for the incident accountable.

The 426-kg bronze statue, located at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, was stolen in the early hours of January 12, Australia Today reported.

The statue was allegedly cut from its base using an angle grinder, leaving only the feet. According to the Australia Today report, the bronze statue was then allegedly cut into pieces and stolen.

The Mahatma Gandhi statu...