Gandhi statue vandalised amid Sikh protests over Operation Bluestar

Reacting to the incident, Leicester East MP Keith Vaz said damaging the Gandhi statue was “foolish”.

“To think that somebody has felt it necessary, either an individual or a group of people, to vandalise in this foolish and idiotic way, such an important part of the heritage of India, as well as the heritage of Leicester, I think is a disgrace,” he said.

Leicestershire Police said the graffiti was due to be removed from the Mahatma Gandhi statue later on Sunday, and appealed for anyone with information about how it got there to contact them.