Shivaji statue collapse | Conceptualised, steered project with govt: Navy

The Indian Navy has issued a statement saying it conceptualised and steered the project of installing the Shivaji statue, which collapsed in Maharashtra’s Malvan this week, in coordination with the state government, which also provided funding for it.

The Navy said on Thursday (August 29) it remains committed to assisting in all measures to repair, restore, and reinstate the statue at the earliest.

Navy forms probe panel

A joint technical committee headed by Indian Navy officials, representatives of the state government, and technical experts is being formed to probe the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Malvan, the Navy said.

Late on Wednesday night, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held a meeting of top officials of the state government and the Indian Navy.

Navy worked in coordination with state

The Navy said the statue was unveiled as part of the Navy Day celebrations, held for the first time in Sindhudurg district, aimed at honouring the legacy of the “Maratha Navy” and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.

“The project was conceptualised and steered by the Indian Navy, in coordination with the state government which also provided funding for it,” the Navy said.

State’s claim

The 35-foot statue of the 17th-century Maratha empire founder installed at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district’s Malvan tehsil collapsed on August 26, nearly nine months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state government has maintained that the structure was designed and built by the Navy and ordered a probe into the crash episode.

However, the incident has triggered a political storm in Maharashtra, with the Opposition accusing the state government of corruption and insulting the Maratha warrior king. The opposition MVA has targeted the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP government and sought Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s resignation.

What engineer named in FIR said

Chetan Patil, a structural engineer named in the FIR along with artist Jaydeep Apte, claimed on Wednesday that he was not the structural consultant for the project. Speaking to Marathi news channel ABP Majha, Patil said he had submitted the design of the platform to the Indian Navy through the Public Works Department (PWD), but he had nothing to do with the statue itself.

“A Thane-based company did the statue-related work,” he said. “I was just asked to work on the platform on which the statue was being erected,” Patil added.

The PWD has claimed that the Navy was in a great hurry to complete the statue before the Navy Day event on December 4, 2023.

Political battle

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, alleging that the statue collapsed because of corruption during its construction, demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar over the massive controversy.

On the other hand, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, which is part of the Maharashtra government, on Thursday staged silent protests across the state over the statue collapse and demanded action against those responsible. The party chief asserted that everyone has the right to protest.

(With agency inputs)