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Material for construction of Parashurama statue at theme park seized from Bengaluru
The Congress had alleged that the park was prematurely inaugurated without completing the necessary infrastructure and safety measures
As part of the ongoing investigation into the irregularities in the construction of the Parashurama theme park, the Karkala town police conducted a raid on a godown in Bengaluru, seizing materials intended for the construction of the Parashurama statue.
The Karkala police team on Saturday inspected a storage facility located in the Vishveshwaraiah Layout near Kengeri. During the raid, officers scrutinised materials allegedly earmarked for the Parashurama statue, which is central to the theme park project initiated by former minister and current BJP MLA Sunil Kumar.
The Parashurama theme park, developed by MLA Sunil Kumar, has been embroiled in controversy following accusations from the Congress. The party leaders alleged that the park was prematurely inaugurated without completing the necessary infrastructure and safety measures.
The controversy in the matter intensified after it was reported that the Parashurama idol itself was not made from the promised materials, leading to public outrage. Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar conducted a personal site inspection and, after failing to obtain clear information, authorised a comprehensive investigation. In response, chief minister Siddaramaiah ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the matter.
Concerns about the theme park were first raised by locals, who pointed out the incomplete installation of lightning protection systems and other unfinished works.
The police registered a case under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) on June 21, following a complaint by social activist Krishna Shetty.
Deputy superintendent of police Aravinda Kalagujji quoted the complainant as saying that the statue’s contractor used fiberglass instead of bronze for the idol, violating the terms of the contract.
“Based on the complaint by Krishna Shetty, we registered a case under IPC sections 420 and 409 on June 21. As part of our investigation, we conducted a site inspection in Bengaluru and seized the raw materials used for the statue’s construction. The investigation is ongoing,” he said.
The Parashurama Theme Park project was estimated to cost ₹11.05 crore, with ₹6.72 crore already disbursed. Despite the substantial funds, the park was inaugurated on January 27 last year without completing essential work or officially transferring the project to the relevant department.
The district administration removed the statue on October 13 last year due to defects in its installation.
Former MLA Sunil Kumar has been accused of corruption and deceiving the public by installing a fake statue of Parashurama. An advance payment of ₹1 crore was made to Krishna Naik of Chris Art World in Bengaluru for the statue’s creation in November 2022, but poor quality raw materials were allegedly used.
Udupi Congress spokesperson Shubhada Rao told HT: “Former MLA Sunil Kumar was involved in corruption and deceived the public by installing a fake statue of Parashurama.”
In response, Udupi district Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president B Kishore Kumar accused the Congress government of making false allegations in the Parashurama statue case to divert attention from its involvement in other scandals, such as those related to Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and the Karnataka Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation.
“The government has released ₹6.72 crore, and the money was fully utilised for the construction of the statue. How can they accuse us before the project’s completion?” he questioned.
