Workers from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staged a silent protest in Pune on Thursday in response to the recent collapse of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg district.
NCP Maharashtra spokesperson Anand Paranjpe condemned the incident, calling it "reprehensible." He urged the Home Minister to take immediate action and arrest those responsible for the statue's poor installation. "The incident that took place in Sindhudurg district is very reprehensible and the state government has also ordered an investigation into it but we demand that the Home Minister should immediately intervene and people responsible for the poor work should be arrested," Paranjpe said as quoted by PTI.
The 35-foot-tall statue, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023 on Navy Day, fell on Monday afternoon. The incident has sparked criticism and demands for accountability. Opposition leaders, including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, have also questioned the BJP-led Mahayuti government’s handling of the situation.
"Two days ago people saw how the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj fell and what kind of statements people are making. Raj Bhavan is on the seashore but even the Governor's hat never flew and they say that the statue of Shivaji Maharaj fell due to strong winds, how is this possible?" said Uddhav Thackeray.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said that the "statue fell and was damaged due to strong winds." Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole hit out at the state government, claiming that both the government at the centre and the state knew nothing except corruption.
He said, "The way the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was vandalised is because of their corruption, whether this government is of the centre or the state, they know nothing except corruption. They have never lagged in insulting the ideas of Shivaji Maharaj, the lord of Maharashtra. Yesterday's incident is a misfortune for Maharashtra, for the people of Maharashtra. And no one will forgive this government, this government should now leave the chair and run away."
On Wednesday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar apologised to the people of Maharashtra for the statue collapse at Rajkot Fort and promised strict action against those accountable.
According to the official release from the Indian Navy, a joint technical committee headed by the Indian Navy with representatives from the Maharashtra Government and technical experts is being formed to investigate the unfortunate damage to the Statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj installed at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, subsequent to the exceptional weather conditions in the region.