NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly apologized for the incident in which the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji collapsed in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. He was speaking in Palghar, Maharashtra. "Chhatrapati Shivaji is not just a name, but our aaradhya dev (revered deity). I am bowing my head at the feet of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and apologizing to the people whose sentiments were hurt," Modi said.

Shivaji's statue collapsed in Maharashtra as Assembly elections are around the corner. The Prime Minister's apology comes amid this. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the 35-foot-tall bronze statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in December last year. The statue collapsed within a year. Part of the leg was first broken from the pedestal of the statue.

A political controversy had erupted in Maharashtra after the statue collapsed. The opposition came out with severe criticism. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut (UBT) said that the corruption in construction is what led to the collapse of the statue and demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should resign. Later Chief Minister Eknath Shinde came to the scene apologising for what happened. Shinde had earlier said that the incident was unfortunate and assured that the statue would be restored. Devendra Fadnavis also announced that another statue will be constructed at the same place to replace the broken one. There were also reports that heavy rain and wind caused the statue to collapse.

The government argued that the construction of the statue was supervised by the Navy, not the state government. The Maharashtra government had formed a technical committee comprising engineers, IIT experts and navy personnel to investigate the cause of the statue's collapse. The Navy had started an investigation into the incident. The expert team conducted the inspection. The Navy stated that the construction and installation of the statue was done with the cooperation of the state government. The crime branch had arrested the structural consultant in the incident.