Maharashtra: Structural consultant named in FIR in Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse held from Kolhapur

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The police on Friday said that Chetan Patil, the structural consultant named in the FIR registered in connection with the Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, has been arrested from Kolhapur, reported news agency PTI.

Patil was taken into custody late on Thursday night and was handed over to the Sindhudurg police for further investigation, said Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit, reported PTI.

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According to the Sindhudurg police, Patil has been arrested in the Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse case, reported PTI.

Patil, a resident of Kolhapur, had claimed on Wednesday that he was not the structural consultant for the project, reported PTI.

Speaking to the Marathi news channel, Patil, named in the FIR along with artist Jaydeep Apte, had said that he had submitted the design of the platform to the Indian Navy through the state's Public Works Department (PWD) but had nothing to do with the statue itself, reported PTI.

"A Thane-based company did the statue-related work. I was just asked to work on the platform on which the statue was being erected," Patil had said, reported PTI.

The 35-foot statue of the 17th-century Maratha warrior king, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg on Navy Day (December 4) last year, collapsed around 1 pm on Monday.

The Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse incident caused embarrassment to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led state government and invited criticism and protests from the opposition parties. Shinde said the statue was designed and constructed by the Indian Navy.

Panels set up to probe collapse

Maharashtra Government has set up a technical committee comprising engineers, IIT experts and Navy officials to probe reasons behind the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj statue at Malvan in coastal Konkan, an official said.

A release issued by the Chief Minister's office after midnight said the government has also constituted a committee to build a "grand statute befitting the stature" of the warrior king.

The decision was taken by CM Eknath Shinde, who chaired a meeting with senior ministers, bureaucrats and Navy officials at his official residence Varsha in South Mumbai Wednesday night, the release said.

An FIR has been registered against the contractor of the 35-foot statue which collapsed on Monday just eight months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4.

The FIR follows a complaint by the Public Works Department, which claims the statue's construction was of poor quality, and the nuts and bolts used in the structure were found to be rusted.

(With inputs from PTI)