Shivaji statue in Malvan unveiled in December collapses due to ‘strong winds’

A 35-foot statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Malvan, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year, collapsed on Monday, seemingly due to strong winds.
The incident caused major embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state and central governments, even as the Opposition sought action against those responsible for the sloppy work. Chief minister Eknath Shinde said his government will rebuild the statue.
While experts are yet to ascertain the cause of the collapse, Sindhudurg district collector Kishor Tawade said the statue fell due to strong winds. The district witnessed heavy rains and gusty winds in the last couple of days. “The wind speed was more than 45 kmph. We are trying to pacify the [local] people. This statue was brought by the Navy,” Tawade said.
PM Modi had unveiled the statue on December 4 last year as part of the Navy Day celebrations at Sindhudurg beach. An official in the local public works department (PWD) said the central government wanted to hold the Navy Day function at Malvan, which has a sea fort of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The programme was planned at the last moment, and the statue was made in a hurry by the Indian Navy, which had no expertise on the subject, the official added.
The statue, which was completely hollow, was brought in pieces and assembled in Malvan, before being installed on a pedestal by the Indian Navy. The work order was given to a Thane-based company on September 8, 2023, and the statue was unveiled on December 4.
The PWD official said they had even written to the area’s civil military liaison officer and coastal security officer earlier this month to let them know the statue’s nuts and bolts were rusting due to salty winds. The letter, written on August 20, stated that many locals had complained about this. It added that the sculptor of the statue, Jaydeep Apte, had done some maintenance work in June.
Copies of this letter were also sent to the Sindhudurg collector, police superintendent, executive engineer of the local PWD, Malvan tahsildar and the police inspector. HT is in possession of this letter. District collector Tawade said an FIR had been filed against the sculptor and structural architect of the statue for the poor quality work.
In a statement released late Monday, the Indian Navy said it would investigate the cause of the collapse. “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 statement said.
When contacted, sculptor Apte said he was given enough time to make the statue. “It was a metal statue, and we had done maintenance work in between. We had kept a window to see if there was corrosion. I am heading to Malvan. I can’t answer questions on the basis of pictures and statements made by people. Let me visit the spot.”
The Opposition slammed the state government over the incident and sought action against the people responsible for the statue’s collapse.
Shiv Sena (UBT) workers led by local MLA Vaibhav Naik ransacked the office of the local PWD. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj constructed many sea forts, which are still there, and the statue fell in less than a year,” Naik said.
“The authorities said that the PWD constructed the pedestal on which the statue stood; the statue was brought by the Indian Navy and fitted by the PWD. This shows the poor quality of work and disrespect to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he added.
NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule said, “This is really sad, and an in-depth inquiry is needed. Chhatrapati Shivaji is a deity for us. Contingencies like rain and wind should have been taken care of. I strongly condemn this government.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the Shinde government did not bother about the quality of the statue and the pedestal, and only wanted to use it for political gain ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. “We can’t tolerate such insults to Chhatrapati Shivaji. Keeping the election in mind, this statue was constructed in a great hurry, and it collapsed in eight months,” he said.
Maharashtra Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant called the BJP-led government “a symbol of corruption and unethical means”.
“We had exposed corruption in [the construction of the] Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea. One has also seen leakage in the newly constructed Ram Mandir, as well as the new Parliament building. The collapse of the statue is condemnable and shows disrespect to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he said.
Chief minister Shinde said his government will re-erect the statue. “Chhatrapati Shivaji is a deity to us. There is no need for anyone to take law and order into their own hands. We will send Navy officers on the spot. I have told the PWD minister Ravindra Chavan to have a meeting. The wind speed was 45 kmph; our officers and naval officers will re-erect the statue.”
Local residents told Chavan, who visited the spot, that they wanted the statue to be repaired by Diwali.