Mumbai: The Indian Navy initiated an inquiry into the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled on the previous Navy Day.
In a statement released late at night, the Navy announced the deployment of a team to swiftly investigate the “unfortunate accident” and to begin the repair, restoration, and reinstatement of the statue as soon as possible.
The 35-foot statue at Rajkot Fort in the Sindhudurg district toppled around 1 pm on Monday.
“The Indian Navy expresses grave concern over the damage sustained by the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj this morning. The statue, unveiled on December 4, 2023, on Navy Day, was a tribute to the citizens of Sindhudurg,” the Navy stated.
The Navy, in collaboration with the state government and relevant experts, has dispatched a team to promptly ascertain the cause of this unfortunate accident and to undertake measures for the statue’s repair, restoration, and prompt reinstatement.
Following the statue’s collapse, which caused embarrassment to the state government, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde pledged to reconstruct the monument, noting that the Indian Navy had been responsible for its design and construction.
