Shivaji statue collapse: Fabricator arrested in UP; used substandard material, say police
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a fabricator of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that recently collapsed at a fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, triggering a huge political row, an official said on Friday.
Fabricator Parmeshwar Ramnaresh Yadav, who was arrested from Uttar Pradesh, had used substandard material while shaping the 35-foot-tall statue of the Maratha warrior king, he said.
A resident of Mirzapur in UP, Yadav was taken into custody on Thursday after his role in the statue collapse came to light, the official said.
Yadav had been tasked with creating the Shivaji statue by welding separate parts, he said.
Police said the fabricator used inferior material to form the structure and did not join the parts properly through welding.
During a technical analysis, it was found that the collapsed steel statue had rusted in some places, indicating the use of low-quality material, he said.
After his role in the case was established, Yadav was also made an accused and was subsequently placed under arrest on Thursday. He was produced in a court which remanded him in police custody for three days, the official said.
The statue of the 17th-century Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg district on December 4 (Navy Day) last year, collapsed on August 26 amid strong winds.
The statue’s sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte and consultant Chetan Patil were later arrested.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
MVA finalises seat-sharing for 260 seats for Maharashtra Assembly elections: Reports
Mumbai: Reports have suggested that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has reached a consensus on 260 of the 288 seats for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, with the Congress securing 110 to 115 seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) 83 to 86 seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) 72 to 75 seats. Disagreements over the remaining constituencies are expected to be resolved soon, according to sources.
The seat-sharing agreement follows the Congress's strong performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Discussions are ongoing to allocate the remaining 20 to 25 seats, which are highly contested among the alliance partners. A senior MVA leader involved in the negotiations said that a formula is being developed that takes into account each party’s chances of success in the election.
Several key figures attended the seat-sharing meeting, including Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and MP Anil Desai, and NCP state president Jayant Patil.
The alliance is also considering giving two to three seats each to the Samajwadi Party, Left parties, and the Peasants and Workers Party. Additionally, Uddhav Thackeray is pushing for more seats in Mumbai and the Konkan region, a traditional stronghold for Shiv Sena. The Congress is expected to contest more seats in Vidarbha, while the NCP will focus on western Maharashtra.
Each party aims to win enough seats to strengthen its claim to the Chief Minister’s post.
