Mumbai: An FIR has been filed against the contractor responsible for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, which collapsed on Monday, just eight months after its inauguration. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023.
The FIR has been lodged against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges include collusion, fraud, and endangering public safety. This action follows a complaint by the Public Works Department (PWD), which alleges that the statue’s construction was substandard and that the nuts and bolts used in the structure were found to be rusted.
Local citizens and tourists had previously raised 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 measures were implemented. The PWD had indicated that rusting nuts and bolts posed a risk to the statue’s stability, but these warnings were not acted upon.
“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 has acknowledged the incident, attributing the statue’s collapse to strong winds, which were reportedly blowing at 45 km per hour at the time. However, the Opposition has criticized the government, accusing it of negligence in handling the situation.
