Who is Jaydeep Apte, sculptor of collapsed Shivaji statue, arrested in Maharashtra?

Jaydeep Apte, the sculptor behind the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue that collapsed at Rajkot Fort, was arrested late Wednesday after being on the run for several days.

Apte had been evading authorities since the incident on August 26 and was nabbed by officials from Kalyan in Thane district. Police had been running a search operation to nab the 24-year-old sculptor.

The 35-foot tall statue, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day last year, collapsed just nine months after its installation following a spell of heavy rains in Sindhudurg. The incident has sparked a political controversy, raising questions about the project’s execution and Apte’s qualifications for such a significant project.

Here’s what we know about the sculptor and the controversy surrounding him.

Who is Jaydeep Apte?

The 24-year-old budding sculptor from Thane is an alumnus of JJ School of Art and runs an art company in Kalyan, reported The Times of India (TOI).

Apte first made headlines in 2019 when he was commissioned by the UK-based Sikh Soldier Organisation to create a bronze bust of a Sikh soldier, honouring those who fought in the British Army during both World Wars. The statue was unveiled in West Yorkshire.

He later undertook a project to build a statuette of Manilal Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s son, for the Dandi memorial in Gujarat. However, the Shivaji statue at Malvan was of a larger figure at 35 feet and he had no prior experience with constructing such enormous statues.

There has been speculation regarding how Apte secured the contract for the Shivaji statue. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) mouthpiece Saamana alleged that Apte was awarded the contract due to his acquaintance with Shrikant Shinde, the son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Defending Apte, a family friend told TOI, “Jaydeep is a good sculptor, but it is true that he did not have the experience of making a big statue. However, I am sure that he will not indulge in corruption…it was a mistake.” His friends and associates describe him as part of a middle-class, educated family without a shadow of controversy.

“His father, who passed away a few years ago, used to work in a big company while he has a sister who is settled abroad after marriage,” a family friend told the national newspaper.

Following the collapse of the Shivaji statue, local police registered an FIR against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including charges related to attempted murder, negligence, destruction of public property, and attempted culpable homicide.

While Patil was arrested earlier, Apte remained elusive until his recent arrest.

How was Apte nabbed by police?

Police in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district had been actively pursuing Jaydeep Apte after the collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue.

More than seven teams were deployed to locate him, and authorities issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) to prevent him from fleeing the country via seaports, airports, or other exit points. Teams scoured multiple locations, including Mumbai, Thane, Sindhudurg, and Kolhapur, employing technical surveillance to track him down.

According to TOI, Apte’s last known movements were traced when he visited Malvan with a friend to check the site where the statue had been installed. After this visit, Apte contacted his wife, informing her that he was returning home, after which she tipped off the police about her husband’s location.

Though Apte’s family declined to comment publicly, police sources indicated they were concerned for his safety and wanted him to cooperate with the investigation.

The arrest came amidst a growing political controversy that has erupted in the run-up to the Maharashtra assembly elections.

BJP leader Pravin Darekar remarked, “Those who were critical of our government must shut their mouths now. It is true that the police took a little long to arrest Jaydeep Apte. We are not taking any credit for arresting, but the police did their job."

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushama Andhare stated, “The state government should not try to take any credit for arresting Apte… He was not some underworld don… He should have been arrested sooner."

With input from agencies