Sculptor of collapsed Shivaji statue at Maharashtra's Rajkot fort arrested

Jaydeep Apte, the sculptor of the recently collapsed Shivaji statue at Rajkot fort, has been arrested in Thane district, police said.

Updated on: Sep 5, 2024, 04:27:48 IST

By HT News Desk

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Jaydeep Apte, the sculptor and contractor behind the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue that collapsed at Maharashtra's Rajkot fort last month, was arrested from Kalyan in Thane district on Wednesday night, a senior police official said.

A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, erected by the Navy and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, collapses at Rajkot Fort, in Malvan, Monday. (PTI)

The Sindhudurg police had been searching for Apte (24) since the statue, which he made, collapsed on August 26, just nine months after its inauguration. The police had formed seven teams to track him down. After the incident, Malvan police registered a case against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil for negligence and other offences. Patil was arrested from Kolhapur last week.

ALSO READ- Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse: ‘Sculptor was close to RSS’, alleges Congress

The statue's collapse sparked a political row ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, with the Opposition targeting the Eknath Shinde-led government.

Govt vs Oppn over Apte's arrest

BJP leader Pravin Darekar said, "Critics of our government should remain quiet now. While it took some time, the police did their job."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare criticised the government, stating, "The state government shouldn't take credit for Apte's arrest—it's their duty. He wasn't some underworld don... he should have been arrested sooner."

Meanwhile, a five-member technical committee visited the Malvan fort to inspect the site. Police have also sent samples of the materials used for the statue and its platform to a forensic lab for analysis.

ALSO READ- 'There was arrogance': Uddhav Thackeray on PM's apology over Shivaji statue collapse

MVA and Mahayuti clash over Shivaji statue collapse

The Maha Vikas Aghadi held a protest march from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India on Sunday, condemning the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. Opposition leaders attacked both the Union and state governments, with Uddhav Thackeray dismissing PM Modi's apology as "smacking of arrogance." Sharad Pawar called the statue collapse an example of corruption.

Earlier at an event in Palghar on Friday, PM Modi expressed his respect for Shivaji Maharaj, saying, "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king but a deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologize to my deity."

ALSO READ- ‘Apologise to our deity…’: PM Modi on Chhatrapati Shivaji statue collapse

The ruling Mahayuti alliance called the incident unfortunate. BJP leader Narayan Rane accused the three opposition parties—Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP—of “trying to create division in the state ahead of the elections”.

(Inputs from PTI)

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