Maharashtra: Absconding sculptor of collapsed Shivaji statue arrested in Thane

Sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte, wanted in connection with the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot fort last month, was arrested from Kalyan in Thane district on Wednesday night, a senior police official said.

Sindhudurg police in Maharashtra were searching for Apte (24) since the statue made by him collapsed on August 26, less than nine months after it was inaugurated. Police had formed seven teams to look for him.

After the statue collapsed, Malvan police registered a case against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil for negligence and other offences. Patil was arrested from Kolhapur last week.

This comes a day after the police in the Sindhudurg district issued a Look Out Circular against contractor Apte in connection with the collapse of the statue. 

An LOC was issued to airports and all other exit points to stop a person from fleeing the country. Apte, a Thane-based sculptor, had executed the contract to make the statue.

The collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023, has raised many eyebrows with the call for an inquiry into the quality of the materials used in the infrastructure project. 

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde vowed to construct a new one that will be stronger.

Calling the incident 'unfortunate', CM Shinde wrote in a post on 'X', It is unfortunate that the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot in Malvan taluka of Sindhudurg district has collapsed. A special meeting was held at the government residence last year to find out the reasons behind this accident and discuss it in detail. It has been decided in this meeting to appoint a technical joint committee comprising civil engineers, experts from IIT institutions along with naval officers to investigate the accident. The committee will investigate the incident and determine the responsibility".

"Also, the public works department has been instructed to appoint a committee of the best sculptors, civil engineers, naval officers and other experts to erect a grand and excellent statue befitting the achievements of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj", he added.

Meanwhile, the collapse of Shivaji statue also sparked protests, with the opposition factions throwing brickbats at the ruling BJP in the state. 

With inputs from PTI.