Here's what led to the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in India's Sindhudurg
Shivaji statue collapses
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue, which was inaugurated on December 4, 2023, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suddenly collapsed raising concerns over its making.
The police have registered an FIR against the contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under different sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He has been charged with fraud, collusion and endangering public safety.
What led to the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue?
The FIR was registered after the Public Works Department (PWD) complained about the poor quality of the statue and said that the nuts and bolts used in its construction were rusted.
Tourists and local citizens had also raised concerns earlier regarding the deteriorating condition of the statue.
)
What’s in a name? Trump’s 'Lake America' move gets a tit-for-tat response from Canada
)
Outrage erupts after 3-year-old is married to 60-year-old man in Pakistan, link to her sister's murder being probed
)
Trump gifts Xi a bald eagle sculpture at White House dinner: Here’s what it symbolises
)
‘Not just a local tragedy’: Nepal PM Shah warns UN of growing climate threat, says Nepal floods were 'a warning to the world'
)
Farhan, who went viral for AK47 celebration vs India in Asia Cup, hopes to lead Pakistan beyond Asian Games
)
CNN, Politico and MS NOW back in White House after judge blocks Trump’s media ban
)
India-New Zealand FTA is ‘an expression of trust’, NZ High Commissioner Patrick John Rata says
Don't Be Shy movie review: A frothy coming-of-age tale that is too shy to experiment
)
Park Ji Hyun makes history as first Korean actress nominated for International Emmy
)
Tesla is preparing something big for Optimus: new Gen 3 models surface in app
)
Bias or safety concerns? Bengaluru CEO says firm will not hire men from UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, MP. Here's why
)
Trump's welcome to Xi demonstrates 'attraction' to dictators: Chuck Schumer
)
Nations League: Germany draw on Klopp debut; Portugal, Norway win
)
WION Iconic Tourism Summit 2026: Union Minister Shekhawat on 'experiential travel', peace diplomacy
)
Scientists detect first radio signals directly from faraway planet
)
A seven-day roadmap? Iran proposes plan to end war, reopen Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear talks
)
The Vvaan Review: This Ekta Kapoor's Tulsi Virani-coded world can't be saved by Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia
)
China to test supersonic jet that moves at Mach 2, double the speed of sound
)
Xi Jinping's 'special plane' vs Trump's Air Force One: What's the difference?
)
Ruckus in J&K Assembly over statehood resolution; BJP leaders enter well of house
)
UNGA 2026: Israeli PM attacks Britain, France for past colonialism
)
West Indies coach Sammy looking at India series as opportunity to finetune ahead of ODI World Cup 2027 qualifiers
)
‘We’ve never gotten along better’: Trump praises Xi, jokes about White House ballroom at high-stakes state dinner
)
Air India pilot suspended after failing pre-flight alcohol test on Zurich-Delhi route
)
Yemen called Trump for US military support in fight against Houthis: Official
)
Meet Adrian Abraham: 9-year-old Indian-origin guitar prodigy aiming for a Guinness World Record
)
US faces fresh cost crunch as mortgage rates hit 7%, oil tops $107 and gas prices surge
)
'Blockbuster' nor'easter develops an eye similar to hurricanes as warnings are issued
)
WATCH: Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif refuses to answer on Hafeez Sayeed, walks away
)
OpenAI is building AI to fight cyber threats: What GPT-6 Cyber means for security
)
'Making history': Xi Jinping praises Trump as US-China leaders dine at White House
)
'What kind of confession is this?': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 'terrorists would be roaming New York' remark goes viral, raises alarm online. Watch
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Netanyahu at UN: Mass walkout, attack on Mamdani and Iran threats | In Pics
)
'We do not wish to continue. It's America that must choose': Iran president Pezeshkian calls on US to end war
)
Bollywood mourns Mushtaq Khan: Sunny Deol, Rajpal Yadav and others pay tribute
)
Myanmar training camp case: US national, 6 Ukrainians allowed to meet their families abroad
)
'FIRST LOOK from inside Noah’s Ark': Researchers share video from inside mysterious mound in Turkey
)
'Fund people, not bombs': Hundreds take to New York streets as Netanyahu delivers speech at UN; dozens arrested
)
Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder detained by NYPD outside UN Headquarters
)
Even after these warnings as well as an alert given by the PWD Malvan division's assistant engineer on August 20, the officials did not take any preventive action.
The PWD said that the rusting bolts and nuts have been posing a risk to the stability of the statue.
"The steel used in the making of the statue had started rusting. The PWD had already written to Navy officials informing them about the statue catching rust and requested them to take appropriate steps," said Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan.
On September 8, the work on the statue was started by the Indian Navy, which does not have any expertise in statue construction. The unveiling of the statue took place on the Navy Day, 4 Dec, at Rajkot Fort.
The Indian Navy said that the cause of the incident will be investigated in a statement on Monday (August 26).
Watch:Surge in POCSO cases in Mumbai after Badlapur sexual assault
"Along with the State Government and concerned specialists, the Navy has deputed a team to immediately investigate the cause of this unfortunate accident and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest," the Indian Navy stated.
Maharashtra's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that strong winds likely led to the collapse of the statue.
“The incident that happened is unfortunate. This statue was erected by the Navy. They had also designed it. But due to strong winds of around 45 km/h, it fell and got damaged," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)