Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Monday that strong and gusty winds were to blame for the fall of a 35-foot Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, amid a stinging criticism by the opposition in Maharashtra.
The Chief Minister said: “The statue was erected by the Indian Navy and not by the state government. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is our idol and his statue is our identity. The design of the statue was also prepared by the Navy itself. After hearing the news that the statue had collapsed, I contacted the District Collector who told me that when the incident took place, a gusty wind with a speed of 45 kmph was blowing in that area, which damaged the statue.I want to assure everyone that Navy officials will go there on Tuesday. Sindhudurg district Guardian Minister Ravindra Chavan, who is state public work minister, will also be reaching the spot. Naval officers, and state government officials will inspect the memorial tomorrow. The work of rebuilding the full-length statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be started from tomorrow itself… once again, you will see Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue standing resplendent and strong in the same place.”
Shinde voiced her extreme disapproval of Vaibhav Naik, a legislator for the Shiv Sena-UBT, for vandalizing the PWD office following the collapse of the statue.
“All I can say is that we will rebuild this statue immediately. However, no one needs to take the law into their own hands. Everyone should maintain law and order in the state. No one has the right to take the law into their hands. I would only appeal to all to cooperate in maintaining peace and order in the state,” he said.
