Statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Britain’s Robert Baden-Powell have been vandalised in Sri Lanka amid an anti-Indian and anti-Western campaign on the island, police said on Friday.
Attackers beheaded the statues of Gandhi, the iconic Indian freedom movement leader and Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout movement, in the town of Batticaloa, 300 kilometres east of Colombo by road, a police spokesman said.
“We have launched an investigation and deployed intelligence units to get at the vandals,” police spokesman Ajith Rohana told AFP. “We do not have any suspects at the moment.”
Gandhi statue vandalised
There was no claim of responsibility for the destruction.
Rohana said two other statues of local figures had also been destroyed in what appeared to have been a coordinated attack carried out overnight in Batticaloa, an area where there is a heavy security presence.
Anti-Western graffiti appeared in many parts of the country after the UN human rights council last month adopted a US-led resolution urging Sri Lanka to probe alleged war crimes committed by its troops.
Demonstrations denouncing the United States and its allies, backed by senior figures in the cabinet, were also held across the country.
Neighbouring India, which had previously supported Sri Lanka, sided with the West in voting for the resolution. Several local media have criticised India after the UNHRC vote.
Human rights groups say that up to 40,000 civilians were killed in the final months of Sri Lanka’s ethnic war, which ended in May 2009, but the government has insisted that none was killed by its troops.
The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people were killed in the conflict between 1972 and 2009.– AFP
FAYA / April 7, 2012
who ever did this, well done. we have nothing to do with this pedophile. all the problem begins because of this b*st*rd, when British ruled us at least we were united. who is this Ghandi f**ker who cant keep his own territory as united. if this b*st*rd kept shut his nasty mouth at least will be ended up like HongKong and we could save thousands of shattered life in Sri Lanka from bloody civil war. plz can anybody vandalize his peanut?
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India-admirer / April 8, 2012
This Hindu report is not fair. It tries to connect up this incident which tool place in a Tamil/Muslim town with current anti-Indian feelings in the country after the Geneva resolution. The point is even that anti-Indian sentiment is not a general one and only articulated by a few newspaper writers.The good feeling among the Sinhalese Buddhists towards India remains ever strong a sit was , Geneva notwithstanding. This is not fair journalism.The Hindu has lost its moorings after recent changes in Editorial. Be Fair.
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Max Silva / April 8, 2012
There’s no doubt that this is a result of defeated Tamil Tiger mischief makers.Fishing in troubled waters.
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Kos Colombas / April 9, 2012
Hay Faya
Do not insult Mahama Ghandi the freedom fighter of India against Brithish Colonists. He has nothing to do with India’s current behaviour towards our motherland. These sort of vandalisms will take us nowhere and cannot be approved at all. Show a bit of respect to Mr. Ghandi.
As Max Silva indicated in his comment, this may be an action by the relics of LTTE.
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Senguttuan / April 9, 2012
The local yakkos can be easily fooled – not the outside world.
It takes hours to break the 3 statues. That in an area under the
HSZ where there are at least an army/p[oliceman for every 3 citizens.
This is clearly a message from the hardliners that the inherent anti-Indianism is manifesting. The Indian delegation of MPs under the
leadership of Ms Sushma Swaraj, due on April 16, will have to take care
of their own security. The disgrace of 1987 at the Presidential House in Colombo can be repeated. The political climate is just as acerbic.
The Indian High Commissioner taking the matter of the Gandhi Statue desecration with Pillaiyan and IGP is significant.
Sri Lanka is sailing sans direction in a stormy sea – again.
Senguttuvan
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FAYA / April 20, 2012
i’m sorry brother… m not a great fan of pedophile. oops so called mahathma… he is not a freedom fighter… he is a freedom beggar. honesty i’m a great fan of Winston Churchill. and also small request… plz ignore that Max silva.
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