For the past three months, Balraje Aware-Patil and his associates operated under the cover of darkness, stealthily setting up unauthorized statues of prominent historical figures in vacant lots while the city slept. These installations, which were allegedly illegal, quickly garnered attention, attracting crowds and igniting protests for their removal. Authorities suggest that this activity not only sparked public interest but also helped Aware-Patil establish a profitable business.<\/p>\n
However, his actions finally caught up with him when the Solapur Police in Maharashtra apprehended him. Aware-Patil, aged 45, was arrested on Sunday and faces serious charges, including attempted murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, and the illegal installation of statues on government property. These charges were filed under pertinent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Currently, he is in judicial custody following the registration of at least three cases against him at the Madha police station in Solapur.<\/p>\n
According to Atul Kulkarni, the Superintendent of Police in Solapur, there are a total of 14 cases linked to the unlawful erection of statues on government land within the district, with Aware-Patil implicated in five. Of the seven cases filed by the Madha Police, he is a suspect in three. A police team arrested him at his residence in Jalna on Sunday, and they are in the process of investigating his role in each case. A senior officer indicated that the installations might have been attempts to illegally occupy land and rally local support.<\/p>\n
A government resolution from May 2017 stipulates that any installation of statues, even on private land, requires prior approval from the district collector. All proposals must be vetted by a committee, and the land should be free of disputes. Any infractions can lead to legal consequences and the removal of the statues. Numerous incidents involving unauthorized installations have been reported across Maharashtra.<\/p>\n
The tipping point for Aware-Patil seems to have been the placement of a statue in a temple area in Anjangaon, Solapur, on March 31, which sparked violence between two caste groups, resulting in stone-throwing and injuries to police officers. This unrest prompted a crackdown that led to Aware-Patil\u2019s arrest. Following these events, the Jalna district administration has ordered the closure of his manufacturing facility while police investigate the possibility of his involvement in a larger statewide operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For the past three months, Balraje Aware-Patil and his associates operated under the cover of darkness, stealthily setting up unauthorized statues of prominent historical figures in vacant lots while the city slept. These installations, which were allegedly illegal, quickly garnered attention, attracting crowds and igniting protests for their removal. Authorities suggest that this activity not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[78,40,144],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-cities","category-india","category-in-mumbai"],"yoast_head":"\n