Cops remove ‘illegal’ Sambhaji Maharaj bust on Pune’s JM road

According to the police, after installing the bust on Tuesday morning, Nilesh Karle, a Sambhaji Brigade member, posted online a selfie with the bust in the background with a message warning PMC to dare remove the bust.

On Shivaji Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji celebrated on February 19, the city police removed an illegally installed bust of Sambhaji Maharaj, the eldest son of Shivaji, hours after unidentified members of Sambhaji Brigade placed it at the Sambhaji Udyan on Jungli Maharaj (JM) road. The incident caused tension in the area.

Police at Sambhaji park, Jungli Maharaj road, where an illegal bust of Sambhaji Maharaj was installed and later taken down. (Sanket Wankhade/HT Photo)

Bhaskar Jadhav, senior inspector of Deccan police station said, “We have found a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera footage where a person is spotted installing the bust, standing in front of it and snapping a selfie. We will file a first information report (FIR).”

According to the police, after installing the bust on Tuesday morning, Nilesh Karle, a Sambhaji Brigade member, posted online a selfie with the bust in the background with a message warning PMC to dare remove the bust.

Santosh Shinde, Swabhiman Sanghatana Pune district president, said, “We have been issuing reminders to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) every month, but the civic body is intentionally delaying it. Activists, upset with the delay, completed the task themselves.”

According to a civic official, Maratha outfits in the city have been demanding installation of Sambhaji Maharaj’s statue at the garden. Marathi author Madhav Gadkari’s statue installed at the garden was vandalised on January 1, 2017, evoking sharp reaction from different sections of society. Later, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) general body passed a resolution to restore Gadkari’s statue in 2018.