Jaydeep Apte, the sculptor of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that collapsed at Maharashtra's Rajkot fort last month, was arrested from Kalyan in Thane district on the night of September 4. The arrest comes after a widespread search by the Sindhudurg Police, who had been looking out for Apte since the August 26 incident, just nine months after it was unveiled.
The 39-year-old sculptor had been evading authorities as seven police teams tracked his movements. Besides Apte, structural consultant Chetan Patil was also under investigation and was arrested in Kolhapur last week. Both face charges of negligence and other offences related to the collapse.
A former alumnus of JJ School of Art, Apte had previously gained recognition for his sculptures, including a bronze bust of a Sikh soldier commissioned by the UK-based Sikh Soldier Organisation and a statuette of Mahatma Gandhi's son, Manilal, for the Dandi memorial in Gujarat.
The arrest took place after Apte’s family, reportedly worried about his disappearance, urged him to return home, according to a report by The Times of India. Apte had contacted his wife to inform her that he was coming back to meet his family. She shared this information with the police, leading to his arrest near his house. Though Apte’s family refused to speak to TOI, police sources revealed that they were anxious for him to cooperate with the investigation. Apte is now being taken to Malvan by authorities to continue the probe.
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The statue’s collapse has triggered a political storm, with the opposition parties targeting the Eknath Shinde-led government. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare criticised the government for delaying Apte's arrest. “He wasn’t some underworld don… He should have been arrested sooner.” On the other hand, BJP leader Pravin Darekar defended the government, commending the police’s efforts.
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A technical committee has been sent to the Malvan fort to investigate the cause of the collapse, while forensic tests are underway to analyse the materials used in the statue’s construction. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari suggested that the statue’s collapse could have been prevented if stainless steel had been used, given the coastal area’s harsh conditions.
As the investigation proceeds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his reverence for Shivaji Maharaj during a recent event. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king but a deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologise to my deity.”
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