Sculptor and consultant booked after Chhatrapati Shivaji statue collapse
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The Sindhudurg Police have filed charges against the sculptor and the structural consultant involved in the construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort, which collapsed on Monday.
The individuals, sculptor Jaideep Apte, proprietor of Artistry, and structural consultant Dr Chetan S. Patil, face allegations under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for their roles in the incident, The Indian Express reported.
These charges include attempts to commit culpable homicide, acts endangering life or personal safety, attempted murder, and cheating. Additionally, they have been charged under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
The collapse of the statue has led to an FIR being lodged by Ajit Patil, an assistant engineer with the Public Works Department (PWD), on Monday night. The FIR alleges poor construction practices, pointing out the discovery of rusted nuts and bolts in the statue’s structure during an inspection conducted on 20th August.
The PWD had reportedly informed the contractor of these defects and instructed them to implement permanent measures to ensure the statue’s stability. However, the incident on 26th August, in which the statue collapsed, has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the construction process.
The FIR claims that Apte and Patil conspired to construct the statue without conducting a thorough study of the project, resulting in the collapse. It further alleges that the collapse of the statue could have led to significant loss of life among those present at the scene. The complaint suggests that the substandard construction posed a direct threat to human life, accusing the sculptor and consultant of knowingly erecting the statue in a manner that compromised its structural integrity.
Moreover, the FIR accuses the defendants of defrauding the government by misappropriating funds allocated for the statue's construction. The PWD’s complaint states that the department had transferred Rs 2.44 crore to the Naval dockyard for the construction, as per their request.
A 12-foot-high foundation was constructed, upon which a 28-foot replica statue was installed. The PWD emphasised the importance of building a safe and durable monument, given Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's status as a national hero of India. The complainant asserted that despite being aware of the potential consequences of a collapse, the defendants proceeded with inadequate construction practices.
