A bust of India's most famous independence campaigner, Mahatma Gandhi, has been unveiled at a railway station in the South African city of Pietermaritzburg.

The unveiling coincided with the 125th anniversary of Gandhi being thrown off a train at the station because he had boarded a coach reserved for white passengers.

“What went through Mahatma’s mind as he spent the night in the waiting room is not really known to us. But we do know that it led to the evolution of a force not seen before in any political movement,” India's Prime Minister Narenda Modi said in a message, referring to how Gandhi organised a passive resistance campaign to fight colonial rule.

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj attended the event:

South Africa: EAM Sushma Swaraj took a train journey from Pentrich station to Pietermaritzburg; Visuals from #Pietermaritzburg station where EAM Swaraj unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi pic.twitter.com/bjEY80jTIg

— ANI (@ANI) June 7, 2018