Shivaji statue collapse row: Engineer named in FIR denies involvement, says ‘was just asked to work on platform’

A structural engineer named, Chetan Patil, against whom the Sindhudurg police registered a case, has said that he was not the structural consultant for the project.

On the afternoon of August 26, the 35-foot statue commemorating the founder of the 17th-century Maratha Empire, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4 of the previous year, collapsed.

In an interview with the Marathi news channel ABP Majha, Patil, who is listed in the FIR alongside artist Jaydeep Apte, stated that he had submitted the platform design to the Indian Navy via the Public Works Department (PWD). However, he clarified that he was not involved with the statue itself.

He told the channel, "A Thane-based company did the statue-related work," adding that, “I was just asked to work on the platform on which the statue was being erected.”

MVA’s march in Mumbai on Sept 1

Earlier on Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray slammed Mahayuti government, and announced Maha Vikas Aghadi's (MVA) will protest March in Mumbai. Thackeray said that MVA will take out a march in Mumbai on September 1 to protest against the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue.

Panels set to probe collapse

Official told news agency PTI that the state 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. Earlier, a complaint by the Public Works Department (PWD), claimed that the statue's construction was of poor quality, and the nuts and bolts used in the structure were found to be rusted.

Govt to build new statue

Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis sought to defend the government over the issue. “The construction of the statue was not overseen by the state government but by the Navy. The individuals responsible for the fabrication and installation of the statue might have overlooked important local factors such as high wind speed and the quality of the iron used,” he said.

He added the state government has decided to install a bigger statue of the 17th century Maratha warrior king at the same place.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)