Some of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes have been stolen and thieves scrawled the word “traitor” on a poster him on what would have been his 150th birthday, police have said.
The remains were taken from a memorial centre in India, where they have been kept since 1948 - the year of the spiritual leader's assassination by a Hindu extremist.
Some Hindu hardliners view Gandhi as a traitor for his advocacy of Hindu-Muslim unity, despite Gandhi being a devout Hindu himself.
Police in Rewa, in Madhya Pradesh state, told the BBC they were investigating the theft on the grounds of actions "prejudicial to national integration" and breach of the peace.
Mangaldeep Tiwari, caretaker of the Bapu Bhawan memorial, where the ashes were being held, said he discovered the poster had been defaced and the remains stolen.
He said the theft was "shameful".
"I opened the gate of the Bhawan early in the morning because it was Gandhi's birthday," he told Indian website The Wire.
"When I returned at around 11pm [5.30pm UK time], I found the mortal remains of Gandhi missing and his poster was defaced."
Police took action and have filed a complaint.
