Shivaji Statue Collapse: Who Is Sculptor Jaydeep Apte? Why Was He Arrested By Maharashtra Cops?

Following the collapse of a Shivaji Maharaj statue, sculptor Jaydeep Apte was arrested for alleged negligence. Apte reportedly has no prior experience in creating large statues.

Amid political controversy over the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg's Malvan, Maharashtra police have arrested sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte, who was reportedly responsible for creating the 35-foot Shivaji Maharaj idol. Apte, who went missing after the incident, was nabbed from Thane's Kalyan area on Wednesday, nearly 10 days after an FIR was filed against him.

Police had been searching for 39-year-old Apte since the day of the collapse on August 26, but he has remained untraceable.

Who is Jaydeep Apte?

Jaydeep Apte, a Thane-based sculptor, had executed the contract to make the 35-foot statue of the Maratha warrior king that was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the fort in Malvan tehsil on Navy Day, December 4, last year. A former JJ School of Art student, Apte runs a workshop near his home in Kalyan.

Apte first gained attention in 2019, when he was commissioned by the UK-based Sikh Soldier Organisation to create a life-sized bronze statue of a Sikh soldier in honour of those who fought in both the World Wars alongside the British army. The statue was unveiled in West Yorkshire. He also crafted a bust of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput in 2021 and a statuette of Mahatma Gandhi's son, Manilal, for the Dandi memorial in Gujarat.

However, Apte reportedly had no prior experience in constructing large statues. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) mouthpiece, Saamana, claimed that Apte was awarded the contract to build the statue of the iconic founder of the Maratha state because he was an acquaintance of Shrikant Shinde.

"Chief Minister Shinde had given the job of erecting the statue of Shivaji to Jaideep Apte of Kalyan, an acquaintance of his son Shrikant Shinde. Apte is a young man of only 24 years. He had no experience in making such large statues. Even after that, it is being questioned that he was entrusted with the work," Saamana has claimed in a post on X.

After the collapse of the statue, the police filed an FIR against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While Patil was arrested from Kolhapur, Apte remained untraceable till Wednesday.

How Jaydeep Apte Was Arrested?

The sculptor was apprehended outside his house, reportedly after his family and friends tried to convince him to surrender. 

As per a report by Times of India, Apte was last seen leaving for Malvan with a friend 10 days ago to visit the site where the statue collapsed. Since then, police have been searching for him, but he remained untraceable. The Sindhudurg police have also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him to prevent him from leaving the country through sea ports, airports and all other exit points.

As per the TI report, the sculptor eventually contacted his wife, informing her of his intention to return home. His wife then relayed the information to the police, which led to his arrest.