New Delhi: The 35-foot-high statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra collapsed on Monday due to strong winds. This statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year (December 4, 2023). After the collapse of the statue, opposition parties have raised questions on the state government.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy has ordered an inquiry into the incident of collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Actually, the statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day last year.

Navy termed the accident unfortunate

In a statement issued late at night, the Navy called it an unfortunate accident. It also said that a team has been deployed to investigate the matter immediately and take steps to repair and restore the statue as soon as possible. Let us tell you that the statue was built by the Indian Navy.

State government and experts will investigate

"In consultation with the State Government and concerned experts, the Navy has deployed a team to immediately investigate the causes of this unfortunate accident and to take steps to repair and restore the statue at the earliest," the Navy said.

FIR lodged against contractor and structural consultant

At the same time, after the statue fell, Sindhudurg police has registered an FIR against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil. The police has registered an FIR under several sections.

Sindhudurg police said, "In the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse incident, police have registered an FIR against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under sections 109, 110, 125, 318 and 3(5) of the Indian Justice Code."

The statue was installed by the Indian Navy

On the other hand, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is facing criticism after the collapse of the statue, has vowed to rebuild the structure. He said that the statue was not installed by the state government but by the Indian Navy. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our ideal and his statue is our identity. The design of the statue was also prepared by the Navy.

CM contacted the District Collector

He further said that after hearing the news of the statue falling, I have contacted the District Collector. The DM told me that when this incident happened, strong winds were blowing at a speed of 45 km per hour in that area, due to which the statue got damaged.