Ajit Pawar Promises New Statue After Shivaji Maharaj Collapse

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited the Rajkot fort where a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed. He vowed to erect a new grand statue at the same location. Amid political furor, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde apologized for the incident and a technical committee has been deployed to investigate the collapse.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday visited the Rajkot fort where a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed earlier this week. He vowed to erect an even grander structure of the warrior king at the same location.

In a post on X, Pawar described Shivaji as the pride and self-respect of Maharashtra. "Very soon, a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be installed at the same place. This is my word," Pawar stated.

On Wednesday, Pawar issued an apology to the people of the state for the collapse of the structure in coastal Sindhudurg district's Malvan tehsil, approximately 480km from Mumbai. Thursday saw his party, NCP, staging a protest against the statue's collapse. Under heightened political scrutiny, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde emphasized his willingness to show utmost respect by apologizing for the incident even 100 times if needed. A technical committee has been established to investigate the reasons behind the collapse, with initial indicators pointing to the Indian Navy handling the project.

(With inputs from agencies.)