Malvan's Shivaji Maharaj Statue Collapse Leads to Contractor’s Arrest

The contractor Jaydeep Apte was arrested in Kalyan on Wednesday. The contractor had a connection with the collapse of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort last month. Dnyaneshwar Chavan, the joint commissioner of police in Thane, confirmed the arrest and said that Apte will be handed over to the Sindhudurg police.

The Maharashtra police had been looking for Jaydeep since the statue he made collapsed on August 26, just nine months after its unveiling. Seven teams were formed to track him. After the collapse,  the Malvan police charged Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil with negligence and other offenses. Patil was arrested in Kolhapur last week.

The statue collapse brought up a lot of political drama just as Maharashtra's assembly elections were approaching. Opposition parties seized the moment to take aim at Eknath Shinde's government.

Talking about the arrest,BJP leader Pravin Darekar stated that, "Those who were critical of our government must shut their mouths now. It is true that police took a little long to arrest Jaydeep Apte. We are not taking any credit for arresting, but the police did their job."

In opposition to this  Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare said that, "The state government should not try to take any credit for arresting Apte because it is the government's duty. He was not some underworld don... He should have been arrested sooner."

According to officials, A five-member joint technical committee visited the fort at Malvan during the day to examine the site.

ALSO READ: 7 Eco-friendly Decoration Ideas For Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration