Prime Minister Narendra Modi today apologised to Chhatrapati Shivaji and all those who were hurt by the collapse of the legendary ruler’s statue at Rajkot Fort.

“The moment I landed here, I first apologised to Shivaji over the statue collapse. I also apologise to the people who were hurt by the collapse,” PM Modi said in Maharashtra’s Palghar.

“Those who consider Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as their deity and have been deeply hurt, I bow my head and apologise to them. Our values ​​are different. For us, nothing is bigger than our deity,” he added.

PM Modi had unveiled the statue last year during the Navy Day celebrations in December. The statue was aimed at honouring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance has accused the ruling government of corruption in the matter of the statue construction and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

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.

Mumbai:

A consultant involved in the structural designing of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, which collapsed recently, has been arrested. The arrest comes days after protests from Opposition leaders seeking a thorough investigation into the collapse.

The Statue was unveiled on December 4 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Navy Day celebrations conducted, for the first time in Sindhudurg. The statue was aimed at honouring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.

A 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the state’s Sindhudurg district collapsed on Monday afternoon. The Shivaji statue was inaugurated in December 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day.

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.

Mumbai:

An FIR has been registered against the contractor of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg which collapsed on Monday just eight months since it was inaugurated. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4 in 2023. 

The FIR was filed against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges include collusion, fraud, and endangering public safety. The FIR follows a complaint by the Public Works Department (PWD), which claims the statue’s construction was of poor quality, and the nuts and bolts used in the structure were found to be rusted.

Local citizens and tourists had previously expressed their concerns about the statue’s deteriorating condition. Despite these warnings, including an alert from the assistant engineer of the Malvan division of the PWD on August 20, no preventive action was taken. The PWD stated that the rusting nuts and bolts posed a risk to the statue’s stability, yet the warnings were ignored.

“The steel used in making of the statue had started rusting. The PWD had already written to Navy officials informing them about the statue catching rust and requested them to take appropriate steps,” said Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan said. 

The work on the statue began on September 8, with the Indian Navy, which has no expertise in statue construction, being tasked with erecting the statue and its pedestal. The statue was unveiled on Navy Day on December 4, at Rajkot Fort, with Prime Minister Modi presiding over the event.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde acknowledged the incident and attributed the collapse to strong winds, claiming they were blowing at a speed of 45 km per hour at the time. However, the Opposition has criticised the government, accusing it of negligence.