Raigad:
The sword of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue installed at the Raigad Fort was found damaged, leading to tension in Kolhapur district.
Police said a nearly four-inch portion of the nearly 40 inches long sword of the statue was found damaged on Saturday.
An official of the heritage department, which puts a garland around the statue every morning, found it broken and informed the police.
Subsequently, an offence under IPC section 379 (theft) and relevant provisions of Ancient Monuments Preservation Act has been registered by the Mahad police in Raigad, located adjoining Mumbai.
A sculptor from Kolhapur will soon repair the statue. The news of the incident led to tension in Kolhapur district. A large crowd of the Maratha warrior king’s admirers gathered at the Shivaji chowk area in Kolhapur last night and sought immediate action against the culprits.
Kolhapur’s acting Collector Nandkumar Katakar reviewed the situation and assured the crowd that the damaged portion of the sword would be restored and CCTVs would be put up around the statue at the historic Fort.
He also spoke to Kolhapur Guardian Minister Chandrakant Patil and Raigad Collector regarding the issue.
Following his assurance, those gathered at the Shivaji chowk left the place.
Notably, social activist Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, a descendant of the 17th century Maratha king and a Rajya Sabha member, along with some other people from Kolhapur had contributed to the installation of the statue.
