The 35-foot-long statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj collapses in Maharashtra (Photo: Screenshot/X)
Bombay: Sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Aptewanted in connection with the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort last month, was arrested from Kalyan in Thane district on Wednesday evening, a senior police official said. Sindhudurg police in Maharashtra Police were searching for Apte (24) ever since the statue he had built collapsed on August 26, less than nine months after it was inaugurated. Police had formed seven teams to search for him. After the statue collapsed, Malvan police filed a case against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil for negligence and other offences. Patil was arrested in Kolhapur last week.
The toppling of the statue of the iconic founder of the Maratha state has triggered a massive political row ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, with the opposition targeting the Eknath Shinde-led government. Reacting to the development, 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.
State Congress chief Nana Patole claimed in Pune that only Rs 1.5 crore was spent on the construction of the statue despite Rs 236 crore being taken from the state exchequer for the work. On Chief Minister Shinde’s allegation that the opposition was politicising the statue collapse incident, Patole said that expressing anger against an insult to Shivaji Maharaj cannot be described as politicising the issue.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.