The Sindhudurg police have apprehended Chetan Patil, the structural consultant responsible for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue that tragically collapsed in Malvan earlier this week. According to Sindhudurg SP Saurabh Agrawal, Patil was arrested on Friday in Kolhapur with the assistance of the local police. “We have detained Chetan Patil and are currently interrogating him. We plan to request his remand on Saturday,” Agrawal confirmed. Authorities are also actively searching for the sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, with several leads being pursued.
In a separate incident, police have filed charges against 42 individuals involved in recent clashes between political party workers at Malvan Fort, with most of those involved being members of Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP). Additionally, offenses have been registered against 80 more unidentified individuals.
The investigation into the statue’s collapse continues, with metal samples from the statue being sent for testing at laboratories in Pune or Kolhapur. A team from the Indian Navy, led by Commodore Pawan Dhingra, is currently on-site conducting a thorough examination. The area has been secured as requested by the Navy, according to Sindhudurg district collector Kishor Tawade.
Meanwhile, the state government has established a committee, led by Additional Chief Secretary (PWD) Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar, to oversee the planning and construction of a new statue. The committee, which includes experts from IIT Mumbai, the Indian Navy, and the J J School of Architecture, will meet next week to finalize the tender process within a month.
Additionally, the government has issued a GR forming a technical committee to investigate the causes behind the statue’s collapse. This committee, also chaired by Commodore Pawan Dhingra, will be responsible for determining the reasons for the failure and assigning accountability.
