Maharashtra’s political landscape has been shaken by the collapse of a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Malvan, with allegations and counter-allegations flying across party lines. The statue, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi just nine months ago, collapsed on August 26, prompting a wave of outrage and demands for accountability.
State Congress President Nana Patole has alleged that the sculptor responsible for the statue, Jaydeep Apte, has close ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “The artist Jaydeep Apte had no experience of making a statue of such a scale. Apte is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh,” Patole claimed, adding fuel to the already intense political firestorm. This statement came in response to earlier remarks by Maharashtra’s Cultural Affairs Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, who suggested that Apte was close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, adding a layer of intrigue to the controversy.
The collapse of the statue, which was part of the Rajkot Fort in Malvan, has led to a flurry of accusations, particularly targeting the state government’s handling of the project. According to the state’s Public Works Department (PWD), the statue’s construction was of “poor quality,” with rusted nuts and bolts being cited as the cause of the collapse.
Opposition parties have seized upon the incident, describing it as an “insult to the legacy” of the 17th-century Maratha emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They have also demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, raising the stakes ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. The Congress party has further questioned whether Prime Minister Modi will apologize for the incident, given the statue’s significance and the fact that he had inaugurated it.
The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has also joined the fray, organizing silent protests in Pune and other parts of western Maharashtra. They are demanding that those responsible for the statue’s collapse be held accountable. In connection with the incident, the Sindhudurg police have filed an FIR against sculptor Jaydeep Apte and structural engineer Chetan Patil.
However, Patil has distanced himself from the controversy, stating that he was not the structural consultant for the project. He clarified that his role was limited to designing the platform and that he had submitted the design to the Indian Navy via the PWD. The PWD has also pointed fingers at the Indian Navy, accusing them of rushing the project to coincide with the Navy Day function on December 4 last year.
In a statement, the Indian Navy clarified its role in the project, stating that it had conceptualized and steered the installation of the statue in coordination with the state government, which provided the necessary funding. The Navy emphasized that the statue was intended to honor the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Maratha Navy’s contributions to maritime defense, which are historically linked to the modern Indian Navy.