Sindhudurg, Maharashtra: 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. The FIR, registered under sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was confirmed by Sindhudurg Police.
The statue, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December at Rajkot Fort, collapsed around 1 p.m. The incident occurred amid heavy rainfall and gusty winds in the area over the past few days. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attributed the collapse to strong winds.
“The incident is unfortunate. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the deity of Maharashtra. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and we were also present at the event. This statue was erected by the Navy. The statue was erected and designed by the Navy. I spoke with the District Collector, who informed me that the statue collapsed due to wind speeds of 45 km per hour. Naval officers will be coming there tomorrow. We will work to erect a full-size statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj there again,” Shinde said.
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Opposition parties have criticized the Maharashtra government, alleging poor quality of work in the statue's construction and installation.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik visited the site and accused the government of shoddy workmanship. "The state government may try to evade responsibility. People responsible for the construction and erection of the statue must be probed thoroughly," Naik said.
Jayant Patil accused the state government of neglecting quality control. He claimed, “The government focused more on the event rather than ensuring proper construction. The lack of attention led to this collapse.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned the contractor's accountability and alleged corruption. "It is infuriating to see videos of the fallen statue of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The BJP-KhokeSena-AP(NCP) should be ashamed that they chose business of money and politics over the pride, the symbol and the hero of Maharashtra. धिक्कार है" Chaturvedi wrote on X.
In response, state minister Deepak Kesarkar assured that the Maharashtra government is committed to erecting a new statue at the same location. "I don't have all the details about the incident. However, it's important to note that PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan, also the guardian minister of Sindhudurg district, has said a thorough investigation will be conducted in the matter," Kesarkar said.
The Indian Navy, which had previously expressed concern over the damage to the statue, has deployed a team to investigate the incident and initiate repairs. The Navy emphasized its commitment to restoring the statue, which was unveiled as a tribute to Shivaji Maharaj’s contributions to naval history.