27 august 2024 : The Sindhudurg Police in Maharashtra have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil following the collapse of the 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Monday.
According to the Sindhudurg Police, “An FIR has been filed by the local authorities concerning the incident involving the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under Sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).”
The statue, which was inaugurated eight months ago on Navy Day, served as a tribute to the residents of Sindhudurg. The Indian Navy issued a statement on Monday, assuring that an investigation into the incident would be conducted.
“The Navy, in collaboration with the State Government and relevant experts, has dispatched a team to promptly investigate the cause of this unfortunate event and to take necessary measures for the repair, restoration, and reinstatement of the statue as soon as possible,” they stated.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde indicated that the statue’s collapse was attributed to damage inflicted by strong winds. He also committed to determining the precise reasons for the statue’s fall. Shinde further emphasized that the Maharashtra government would investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident and ensure the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is reinstalled at the original location.
He said, “The incident that happened is unfortunate. This statue was erected by the Navy. They had also designed it. But due to strong winds of around 45 km/h, it fell and got damaged.”
Public works minister Ravindra Chavan visited the site as soon as incident occurred and will be investigating the causes of the statue’s collapse under chief minister Shinde’s orders.
The Indian Navy has also pledged their help to the state forces in restoring the statue and provide help with the probe into the statue’s fall.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue was first unveiled by prime minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort, Sindhdurg, Maharashtra, on December 4, 2023.
Opposition parties have been asking for the contractor of the statue to be held responsible.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MP Supriya Sule posted on X, saying that, “The work of erecting this statue was assigned to a contractor from Thane district… We demand that this person and their organisation be blacklisted by all departments… A thorough investigation is essential to determine why the quality of this statue’s work was so poor and to address other related issues.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut also took this opportunity to criticise prime minister Narendra Modi, saying, “The haste with which the statue was inaugurated, keeping the Lok Sabha elections in mind, I feel that it was done in a very poor manner. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was insulted for elections and votes. The installation by Modi ji’s hands shows that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj did not want this.”