KARACHI: In a shocking development, some of Mahatma Gandhi's remains were stolen in what would have been his 150th birthday, BBC reported Thursday.
The ashes of the famous leader were taken from a monument in central India, where they had been stored since 1948, the year of his murder by a Hindu extremist.
The people behind the strange incident also scribbled the word "traitor" in green paint through photographs of the leader who is widely revered.
Some uncompromising Hindus oppose Gandhi and his views because he advocated Hindu-Muslim unity. This despite the fact that he himself was a devout Hindu.
According to Shuriah Niazi of BBC Hindi, Rewa police in the state of Madhya Pradesh confirmed that they were investigating the theft for actions "detrimental to national integration" and the possible violation of peace. Mangaldeep Tiwari, the caretaker of the Bapu Bhawan monument, where the ashes were kept, said the incident was "shameful."
"I opened the door of the Bhawan early in the morning because it was Gandhi's birthday," he told the Indian news site The Wire. "When I returned around 23:00, I found Gandhi's mortal remains missing and his poster was disfigured."
Police went into action after Gurmeet Singh, a leader of the Congress party, filed a complaint.
"This madness must stop," Singh told the website. "I urge the Rewa police to review the CCTV cameras installed inside Bapu Bhawan."
Mahatma Gandhi led a nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India, inspiring people around the world.
Most Indians still revere him as the Father of the Nation. But Hindu fans accuse him of having betrayed the Hindus for being too pro-Muslim, and even for the division of India and the bloodshed that marked the partition.
Posted on Dawn, October 4, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1508903/gandhis-ashes-stolen-photos-defaced