First arrest made in Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse case in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra
Chetan Patil asserted that a Thane-based company completed the job and that he was not the structural consultant for the statue itself.
PTC News Desk: Chetan Patil, the structural consultant named in the FIR concerning the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, has been arrested in Kolhapur. This development was confirmed by the Kolhapur Superintendent of Police, Mahendra Pandit, who stated that Patil was taken into custody late on Thursday night and handed over to the Sindhudurg police for further investigation.
Patil, a resident of Kolhapur, had earlier denied his involvement in the statue's structural design. In an interview with the Marathi news channel ABP Majha, Patil clarified that his role was limited to the design of the platform on which the statue stood. He explained that he had submitted the platform's design to the Indian Navy through the state's Public Works Department (PWD) and was not responsible for the statue itself. Patil also pointed out that a company based in Thane was responsible for the statue's construction.
The 35-foot statue of the 17th-century Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg on Navy Day, December 4, last year. However, the statue unexpectedly collapsed on Monday around 1 pm, causing widespread outrage and raising serious questions about the quality of its construction and the safety measures in place.
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In addition to Patil, the police have also arrested a contractor in connection with the case. The incident has caused significant embarrassment for the state government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. In response to the controversy, Shinde clarified that the statue had been designed and constructed by the Indian Navy.
The state Congress chief, Nana Patole, weighed in on the controversy, alleging that the sculptor who created the statue had close ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This claim followed comments from the state cultural affairs minister, Sudhir Mungantiwar, who had suggested that the sculptor was closely associated with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The opposition parties have condemned the incident as an “insult to the legacy” of the Maratha emperor and have demanded accountability from the state government. The Congress party has gone further, asking if Prime Minister Modi would issue an apology for the collapse of the statue.
In a related development, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staged silent protests in Pune and other parts of western Maharashtra on Thursday, calling for decisive action against those responsible for the statue's collapse.
The Indian Navy has clarified its role in the project, stating that it had conceptualized and overseen the installation of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in coordination with the Maharashtra state government, which also provided funding for the project. Despite this, the incident has sparked widespread criticism and protests, with many calling for a thorough investigation to prevent such occurrences in the future.
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