A statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra's coastal Sindhudurg district just eight months ago, collapsed on Monday, an official said, with the chief minister blaming "strong winds" for the cave in.
Following the incident, the opposition parties have slammed the state government, alleging it had paid little attention to the quality of work. The exact cause of collapse is yet to be ascertained, but preliminary report suggests it was due to heavy rains and gusty winds over the past two days in the city.
