Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse: Maharashtra Police arrested sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte, wanted in connection with the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot fort last month, from Kalyan in Thane district on Wednesday night, a senior police official said.
A 24-year-old sculptor was arrested after being untraceable since August 26, when a statue he created collapsed less than nine months after its inauguration. The Sindhudurg Police in Maharashtra had been actively searching for the sculptor, Apte, and had formed seven teams to locate him.
Following the collapse of the statue, the Malvan Police registered a case against sculptor Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil, citing negligence and other related offences. Patil was arrested in Kolhapur last week.
Political row over collapse of statue
The collapse of the statue of the iconic founder of the Maratha state has sparked a huge political controversy ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections.
Reacting to the development, BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, "Those who were critical of our government must shut their mouths now. It is true that the police took a little long to arrest Jaydeep Apte. We are not taking any credit for arresting, but the police did their job."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare, on the other hand, said, "The state government should not try to take any credit for arresting Apte because it is the government's duty. He was not some underworld don....He should have been arrested sooner."
Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse
The statue of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, collapsed on August 26. The 35-feet tall statue collapsed at Rajkot Fort in Malvan. PM Modi had inaugurated the statue on December 4 last year on the occasion of Navy Day. He had also participated in the celebrations at the fort. Meanwhile, the statue collapse incident has snowballed into a political controversy with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) targeting the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra and seeking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's resignation.
(With PTI inputs)
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