Shivaji statue collapse: PWD's warning about 'rusting nuts and bolts' ignored, FIR filed against contractor, consultant

"FIR has been registered by local police in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue incident against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5)," the Sindhudurg Police as quoted by Hindustan Times.

The 35-foot-tall statue of the Maharashtra state icon was unveiled by the PM eight months ago on December 4 on Navy Day.

The Public Works Department (PWD) had earlier warned that rusting nuts and bolts posed a risk to the stability of the statue, media reports said.

However,  authorities reportedly ignored the alerts.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described the incident as 'unfortunate' and said probably strong wind led to the collapse of the statue.

Opposition leaders slammed the government over the collapse and claimed the incident reflected the poor quality of materials used by the Centre in building infrastructure projects.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Salahuddin Owaisi wrote on X: "The 35-feet Shivaji Statue inaugurated by @narendramodi collapsed today. It’s a reflection of the poor quality of infrastructure built by Modi sarkar. Shivaji was a symbol of equality & secularism, his statue’s collapse is an example of @narendramodi ’s lack of commitment to Shivaji’s vision."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi  targeted the Centre and wrote on X: "How much ‘khoke’ (crore) did the contractor pass on to the ‘khoke Sarkar’?

Chhatrapati Yuvraj Sambhajiraje of Kolhapur, the 13th direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, claimed the statue was erected in haste.

He said the statue was 'shapeless'.

"In this Maharashtra, there is no such unfortunate thing as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's memorial collapsing within a year," he said.