New Delhi: A structural consultant was arrested on Friday in connection with the recent collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. Chetan Patil, a Kolhapur resident, was taken into custody early in the morning in a coordinated operation by the Kolhapur Crime Branch and Malvan Police. Patil was named in the FIR related to the incident and had denied being the structural consultant for the statue itself, claiming he was only responsible for the platform construction, while a Thane-based company managed the statue work.About the statue collapseThe 35-foot statue of the 17th-century Maratha warrior king, located at Rajkot fort in Malvan, collapsed on Monday, August 26, merely nine months after its unveiling by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The collapse has sparked a political storm in Maharashtra, which is gearing up for upcoming elections.In response to the incident, the state government, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has established a technical committee to investigate the cause of the statues failure. The government pointed out that the project was overseen by the Indian Navy, which collaborated with the state government for funding. The Navy, in its statement, assured that it remains committed to repairing, restoring, and reinstating the statue promptly. Police detained Chetan Patil, the structural consultant of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, which collapsed in Malavan. He was detained from Kolhapur. He was named in an FIR registered at Sindhudurg Police. A team of the local Crime Branch of Kolhapur Police traced him…— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2024Shindes regret over the issueThe Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has also staged silent protests across Maharashtra, expressing their concern over the incident. In response, Chief Minister Shinde expressed deep regret, stating he was ready to apologize 100 times for the collapse and urging opposition parties not to politicize the issue. Shinde further announced the formation of two committees: one to investigate and take necessary actions, and the other to expedite the construction of a grand statue of Shivaji Maharaj at the same site.
