A consultant involved in the structural designing of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, which collapsed recently, has been arrested. The arrest comes days after protests from Opposition leaders seeking a thorough investigation into the collapse.

Chetan Patil, the structural consultant of the statue which crashed in the Rajkot Fort in Malvan, Sindhudurg, was arrested by Kolhapur Police on Thursday night.

Patil had been on the run since the incident on Monday that has sparked a massive public outrage and political furore, as the sculptor Jaydeep Apte still eludes the police net.

At least six probe teams of the Kolhapur Police, Sindhudurg Police and Thane Police were on the lookout for the duo whose mobile phones were off, but Patil was caught last night.

The Statue was unveiled on December 4 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Navy Day celebrations conducted, for the first time in Sindhudurg. The statue was aimed at honouring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.

A 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the state’s Sindhudurg district collapsed on Monday afternoon. The Shivaji statue was inaugurated in December 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day.

A joint technical committee headed by the Indian Navy with representatives from the Maharashtra Government and technical experts is being formed to investigate the unfortunate damage.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has accused the ruling government of corruption in the matter of the statue construction and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

The Maharashtra directorate of art approved a 6-ft statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji based on a clay model. The final structure, modified without further approval, was 35-ft tall and unexpectedly collapsed. The Navy, responsible for appointing sculptors and consultants, did not inform the directorate of significant design changes, igniting political debate.

Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy apologized for comments about the bail for K Kavitha, saying his words were taken out of context. Reddy emphasized his respect for the judiciary and the judicial process. Earlier, he had suggested political deals might have influenced Kavitha’s bail. The Supreme Court had objected to his remarks.