Who is Jaydeep Apte? Contractor and sculptor arrested for Shivaji statue collapse

Bombay: Nearly 10 days after the 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapsed in Sindhudurghe Maharashtra Police arrested a sculptor-contractor Jaydeep ApteApte was arrested from Kalyan in Thane district on Wednesday evening. The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg’s Malvan tehsil on Navy Day (December 4) last year, collapsed on August 26 following heavy rains.

Who is Jaydeep Apte?

Jaydeep Apte is a Thane-based sculptor who had executed the contract to make the 35-foot statue of the Maratha warrior king at the fort in Malvan tehsil on Navy Day, December 4 last year. After the statue collapsed, the local police filed a case against the contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under sections 109, 110, 125, 318 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While Patil was arrested in Kolhapur, Apte remained untraceable.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray claimed that Apte had no prior experience in building such large statues and was given the contract because he was an acquaintance of Shrikant Shinde. “Chief Minister Shinde had given the task of erecting Shivaji’s statue to Jaideep Apte of Kalyan, an acquaintance of his son Shrikant Shinde. Apte is a young man of just 24 years. He had no experience in making such large statues. Even after that, doubts are being raised as to whether he was entrusted with the job,” Saamana posted on X.

Police deployed seven teams to nab Apte

The Sindhudurg district police in Maharashtra had sent more than seven teams to search for Jaydeep Apte, who was arrested in connection with the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort. The police have been searching for Apte, 24, since the day of the collapse on August 26, but have not been able to locate him since the incident.

The Sindhudurg police have also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Apte to prevent him from leaving the country through seaports, airports and all other exit points.

The Sindhudurg police teams searched for him in places including Mumbai, Thane, Sindhudurg and Kolhapur. Some of the teams also sought technical help to arrest the accused. A police team had visited Apte’s residence at Dudhnaka in Kalyan, Thane district, but it was closed. He was arrested from Kalyan on Wednesday evening.

A political dispute breaks out

The collapse of the statue of the iconic founder of the Maratha state has become a major political row with the opposition MVA targeting the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government and seeking the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, “Those who criticised our government should shut their mouths now. It is true that the police took some time to arrest Jaydeep Apte. We take no credit for the arrest but the police did their job.”

On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare said, “The state government should not try to take credit for arresting Apte as it is their duty. He was not an underworld kingpin… He should have been arrested earlier.” Meanwhile, a five-member joint technical committee visited Malvan Fort during the day and examined the spot, an official said. The police have also sent samples of the materials used for the statue as well as the platform on which it stood to a forensic science laboratory for chemical analysis.

(With contributions from the Agency…)