Deccan Chronicle 11.09.2009

Someone loves the Mahatma’s glasses!

Mangalore

Sept. 10: While it’s gold or money that thieves are usually looking for, at the Lalbagh Circle in Mangalore city, it is the spectacles on by a statue of Mahatma Gandhi that they find irresistible.

The spectacles are regularly stolen, and are replaced as often by the local administration.

But within a few months of the city corporation ‘giving’ Gandhiji a new pair of spectacles, they vanish, leaving no clue about who the thief might be.

The small bust of the Father of the Nation was installed at the Lalbagh Circle near the Mangalore City Corporation office in 2005 by then mayor K. Ashraf on Gandhi Jayanti, with the help of the Mahathma Gandhi Foundation. But since then Gandhiji has lost his spectacles at least seven times.

In the last year alone, the spectacles have disappeared twice, the latest vanishing just three days ago.

With Gandhi Jayanti fast approaching, the city corporation has no choice but to replace the spectacles and is doing so in a hurry.

The spectacle thief manages to strike every time without being noticed, although the bust is located in a crowded area, frequented by people at all times of day and night.

Security guards of the Mangalore City Corporation building and nearby commercial establishments regularly keep vigil here, but have so far missed seeing the thief who easily gets away stealing Gandhiji's glasses.

Concerned by the regular disappearance of the spectacles, the Mangalore police has now decided to take precautions to make sure it does not happen again.

Security will be stepped up at Lalbagh Circle, around Gandhiji's bust, assures superintendent of police A.S. Rao.

“Some mischief-makers are doing this. We will catch them,” he adds.