The statue built with bronze suddenly fell and broke into several pieces.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaji collapsed at the Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg today. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023 and the incident has drawn the ire of the Opposition which has slammed the state government, alleging that it paid little attention to the quality of work.
The 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji collapsed in the afternoon. Officials said experts will ascertain the exact cause of the collapse. The district has witnessed heavy rains for the last three days.
Chhatrapati Yuvraj Sambhajiraje of Kolhapur, the 13th direct descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, has slammed the Eknath Shinde-led MahaYuti and said, "The statue erected in haste to inaugurate by the Prime Minister collapsed! It was then that we wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and demanded to change this statue, which was basically shapeless and not according to sculpture and was erected in haste."
"In this Maharashtra, there is no such unfortunate thing as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's memorial collapsing within a year. In such a situation, with what authority will we talk about Maharaja's forts," Yuvraj Sambhajiraje said in a strongly-worded post on X.
The statue built with bronze suddenly fell and broke into several pieces, with only the metal feet standing.
Prime Minister Modi unveiled the statue on December 4 last year on the occasion of Navy Day.
"Along with the State Government and concerned specialists, the Navy has deputed a team to immediately investigate the cause of this unfortunate accident and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest," the Indian Navy said.
"The state government is responsible for the collapse, as it did not take proper care. The government paid little attention to the quality of work. It only focused on conducting an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to unveil the statue. This Maharashtra government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly," NCP (Sharad Pawar) state president, Jayant Patil said.
Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar said, "I don't have all the details about the incident. However, it's important to note that PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan, also the guardian minister of Sindhudurg district, has said a thorough investigation will be conducted in the matter."
"We are committed to erecting a new statue at the same location. This statue, unveiled by PM Modi, pays tribute to Shivaji Maharaj's visionary efforts in building a sea fort. We will take all necessary steps to address this matter promptly and effectively," he said.
The Rajkot Fort is located on a rocky stretch around 3 km from the Sindhudurg Fort.
- with inputs from PTI, IANS