The 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Malvan collapsed on August 26, just nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled it, igniting a political controversy in Maharashtra.
Amid the uproar, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Thursday claimed that the statue’s sculptor had close ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). This statement came in response to an earlier remark by State Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who alleged that the sculptor was actually close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage across the state, with opposition parties calling for the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
They argue that the statue’s collapse is an “insult to the legacy” of the 17th-century Maratha emperor, with Congress even demanding an apology from Prime Minister Modi.
In a parallel move, the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP held silent protests in Pune and other parts of western Maharashtra on Thursday, calling for accountability for those responsible for the statue’s collapse.
Following the incident, the Sindhudurg police registered an FIR against the sculptor, identified as Apte, and structural engineer Chetan Patil. However, Patil has denied being the structural consultant for the project, stating that his involvement was limited to designing the platform and submitting the design to the Indian Navy through the public works department.
In a statement, the Indian Navy clarified that the statue had been unveiled on December 4, 2023, as part of Navy Day celebrations in Sindhudurg, aimed at honoring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The Navy emphasized that the project was a collaborative effort with the state government, which provided funding and assured its commitment to assisting in the repair, restoration, and reinstatement of the statue at the earliest opportunity.
