Local police have filed an FIR against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil following the collapse of the 35-foot Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg on Monday (August 26). The FIR, registered under sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was confirmed by Sindhudurg Police.
“FIR has been registered by local police in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue incident against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5),” Sindhudurg Police said.
The statue, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg on December 4, 2023, suffered significant damage due to high winds.
Navy, Maharashtra officials to assess situation
The Indian Navy expressed serious concern over the damage to the statue, which had been unveiled on Navy Day, December 4, 2023, as a tribute to Sindhudurg’s residents. The Navy has dispatched a team, in collaboration with the State Government and relevant experts, to investigate the cause of the incident and to facilitate the repair, restoration, and reinstatement of the statue.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described the statue’s collapse as “unfortunate” and attributed the damage to strong winds. He announced that officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Navy will visit the site today (August 27) to investigate.
Shinde also noted that Public Works Minister Ravindra Chavan had been sent to the scene immediately. The Maharashtra government is committed to identifying the causes of the incident and restoring the statue at the original location.
“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. Tomorrow, officials from PWD and the Navy will visit the site and investigate the cause behind it. I sent Public Works Minister Ravindra Chavan to the site as soon as I heard about the incident. We will find out the reasons behind this incident and reinstall the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the same place,” Shinde said.
Call for action
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule has called for action against the contractor responsible for the statue’s construction. In a post on X, Sule demanded that the contractor and their organization be blacklisted, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation into the poor quality of the statue’s construction.
In contrast, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut criticised the haste with which the statue was inaugurated, suggesting it was done poorly and motivated by electoral considerations. Raut accused Prime Minister Modi of insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for political gain.
“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,” Raut said.
(With agencies inputs)