In a surprising move linked to the recent collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort, the Maharashtra government has transferred Sindhudurg Collector Kishor S Tawade and demoted the position to a non-IAS rank.
The sudden reshuffle has stirred considerable debate.
Tawade will move to a less prominent role as Managing Director of the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation Ltd in Pune, and Anil A Patil, the Managing Director of Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, will take over his position.
The change comes exactly one week after the 28-foot statue, mounted on a 10-foot platform at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, toppled, allegedly due to adverse weather conditions.
The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the transfer orders late on Monday, directing both officials to assume their new roles immediately.
Patil will now oversee Sindhudurg, a coastal district with strategic significance and a 120-km Arabian Sea coastline.
The decision to downgrade the Sindhudurg Collector position has raised eyebrows.
Constitutional expert Barrister Vinod Tiwari expressed concern about the timing and rationale behind the demotion.
“While the government has the authority to make such changes, the motives behind downgrading this position at a politically sensitive time, with elections approaching, remain unclear,” Tiwari told IANS.
The statue’s collapse on 26 August has however sparked widespread public outrage and political turmoil.
Meanwhile, the incident has had significant repercussions for the MahaYuti government, just as Maharashtra gears up for assembly elections.
The opposition coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Shiv Sena (UBT) has staged numerous protests across the state.
In response to the backlash, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar issued apologies.
PM Modi Apologizes & Pays Tribute To Shivaji Maharaj; MVA Leaders Dismiss Gesture
On 30 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a visit to Maharashtra, made an unexpected public apology and paid tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Palghar. Modi’s gesture was seen as an attempt to bolster the beleaguered MahaYuti government.
Despite the PM’s apology, MVA leaders have dismissed it as insufficient, continuing their protests against the state government.
Meanwhile, the Sindhudurg police have arrested Chetan Patil, the associate and structural consultant, while sculptor Jaydeep Apte, who created the statue, remains at large.
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