Contractor and Consultant Booked Over Collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue

Authorities in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district have filed a case against a contractor and structural consultant following the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue. The 35-foot statue, unveiled by PM Narendra Modi last year, collapsed recently, prompting criticism of the state government and leading to an investigation.

Authorities in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district have taken legal action against a contractor and a structural consultant following the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue. Officials announced on Tuesday that an FIR has been registered against contractor Jaydeep Apte and consultant Chetan Patil.

The 35-foot statue, commemorating the 17th-century Maratha warrior king and unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg during Navy Day last December, collapsed around 1 pm on Monday. The incident has led to significant embarrassment for the Eknath Shinde-led state government and has drawn strong criticism from opposition parties.

An assistant engineer from the Public Works Department (PWD) filed a complaint at Malvan police station on Monday evening, asserting that the artist and the consultant were responsible for the statue's collapse. Consequently, Apte and Patil have been booked for not only endangering lives but also for attempting to commit culpable homicide, acting with intent to murder, and cheating under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

(With inputs from agencies.)