Was study done before deciding height of Shivaji Maharaj's statue: Danve

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve on Friday targeted the Maharashtra government over the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue and asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde whether a scientific study was carried out before deciding the specifics of the statue like its height.

He also sought to know if a specific height of the statue was maintained to fulfil the political ambitions of someone.

A political row has erupted after the 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, built at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of coastal Sindhudurg district, collapsed on August 26.

The Maharashtra government has set up a technical committee comprising engineers, IIT experts and Navy officials to probe the reasons behind the statue collapse. Police have arrested Chetan Patil, the structural consultant named in the FIR along with artist Jaydeep Apte, from Kolhapur.

Questioning the government over the issue, Danve, who is the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, said in a post on X,