Statue Of Gandhi At Davis Central Park Damaged

DAVIS (CBS13) - A statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a Davis park has been vandalized.

Around 9 a.m. Thursday, a Davis Central Park employee discovered the damage. The 6-foot-tall bronze statue had been broken off from its base at the ankles and its head was missing, the Davis Police Department confirms.

Police have assigned a detective to investigate the incident, which is being considered a felony vandalism incident.

The motive behind the incident is unknown. There was no surveillance video of the incident.

The statue of the political and cultural icon was installed in 2016 in a grassy area of the park. Opponents to the statue said Gandhi's little-known history of racism and abuse make him an inappropriate role model.

"When all the truth is known, it cannot be ignored," said Bhajan Singh.

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The statue was paid for by private funds.

Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement, was assassinated in 1948. He's known for originating a form of non-violent civil disobedience that gained worldwide notoriety.