A 35-feet tall statue of  Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj -- inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort  in Sindhudurg district in coastal Konkan region  in December last year- -- collapsed all of a sudden on Monday afternoon, sparking a major political controversy in Maharashtra

The statue collapsed at 12.30 pm on Monday. The exact cause of the collapse of Shivaji’s statue has not been established yet. Sindhudurg has been reeling under heavy rains for the last several days. Following the collapse, officials of Sindhudurg, including district collector Kishor Tawade rushed to the spot to review the situation.

The Rajkot Fort is located on a rocky stretch around 3 kilometers away from the Sindhudurg Fort. The Sindhudurg Fort was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1660 and Rajkot Fort in Malvan bordering the Arabian Sea was built around 1664 and both remain a glorious testament to India’s maritime heritage.

Under severe flak from the MVA leaders and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s  direct royal descendent Chhatrapati Yuvraj Sambhajiraje of Kolhapur, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde deployed his senior PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan to Sindhudurg for an on-spot assessment.

The development came after the MVA leaders came down heavily on the Eknath Shinde government for the collapse of Shivaji’s statue. They termed the incident an insult to Maharashtra’s pride and a blow to the country’s image globally and it smacked of corruption. 

It may be recalled that during the Navy Day celebrations on  December 4, 2023, Modi had unveiled  the 35-feet-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj --- with the sword held high in his right hand --at Rajkot Fort in Malvan of Sindhudurg district during which Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Admiral R Hari Kumar (Retd), the then Chief of Naval Staff and the top brass of the Indian Navy were present. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and two Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar too were present at the function.

Under severe flak from the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s direct royal descendent Chhatrapati Yuvraj Sambhajiraje of Kolhapur over the collapse of iconic statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde rushed his senior PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan to Sindhudurg for an on-spot assessment.

The development came after the MVA leaders came down heavily on the Eknath Shinde government for the collapse of Shivaji’s statue. They termed the incident an insult to Maharashtra’s pride and a blow to the country’s image globally and it smacked of corruption. 

Flagging the issue on “X” Shivaji Maharaj’s 13th direct descendent Chhatrapati Yuvraj Sambhajiraje said that the statue was erected in ‘haste’ for inauguration by the PM and it has collapsed.

“It was then that we wrote to the PM and demanded to change this statue which was basically shapeless and not according to sculpture and was erected in haste. In this Maharashtra, there is no such unfortunate thing as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's memorial collapsing within a year. In such a situation, with what authority will we talk about Maharaja's forts!” the Yuvraj wrote.

The Opposition NCP (SP) leaders, including Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil and  Jitendra Awhad held the  MahaYuti government directly responsible for the statue collapse.

Suspecting corruption behind the whole thing, Patil demanded a thorough inquiry into the construction of the statue. Awhad lamented that the collapse of the statue as a  blow to the country’s image how the statue of a national icon has crashed

Alleging corruption, Supriya posted a work order dated September 8, 2023 issued to a firm from Thane, which incidentally is the home district of chief minister Eknath Shinde and demanded he (the contractor) be “blacklisted”.

Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe castigated the ruling BJP-led MahaYuti government for “consistently misusing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s name for elections” and now even for indulging in corruption in his statue. He warned  that the MahaYuti will face the consequences of this in the forthcoming State Assembly elections.

Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray rooted for a detailed inquiry and action against all those responsible for the incident.

Meanwhile, supporters of SS (UBT) Kudal MLA Vaibhav Naik vandalised the PWD offices  in Sindhudurg, demanding a FIR against the officials.