MUMBAI, April 12 -- The Solapur district administration has cracked down on local authorities for their failure to prevent the sudden appearance of statues of Maratha kings Chhatrapati Shivaji and Chhatrapati Sambhaji, which surfaced across Marathwada and Western Maharashtra in the last six weeks. Statues of the kings started cropping up mysteriously and, often, overnight, leaving the police baffled, until they arrested a controversial social activist and self-styled "devotee of Shivaji Maharaj", Balraje Aware-Patil, in Solapur last week. Police say Aware-Patil is responsible for the sudden surge in statues, which were swiftly installed - illegally - under the cover of darkness all across the region. Aware-Patil, they said, had crowd-funded large sums of money to support his cause. He is allegedly backed by politicians keen on polarizing certain communities to keep the Maratha cause on the boil in the state. In a joint letter signed by the district collector, rural superintendent of police and chief executive officer of the district council on Thursday, the Solapur district administration has reinforced a set of nine guidelines issued by the government in 2017, relating to the installation of statues, memorials and flagpoles. The administration has also instructed village- and tehsil-level officials, such as police patils, village panchayats, and village revenue officials to be vigilant. "It has been observed that while several statues were being installed, these officials failed in their duties despite an implied duty of the officials. Henceforth, any such dereliction in duty by these officers will face the suspension of police patils and an administrative inquiry will be instituted against village panchayat and village revenue officials," the letter states. "In case of any attempt to erect illegal statues or memorials, these officials should jointly visit the spot within an hour and begin the process of its removal in the next four hours. An FIR should be filed within 24 hours of such illegal act and the culprits be booked for the illegal action," according to the four-page circular. Action will also be initiated against units manufacturing and selling such statues without the requisite permissions, the circular adds. These units must make sure permission for the statues' installation is in place. Hindustan Times had reported on April 9, 2026, that at least three dozen statues of Shivaji and Sambhaji had been installed by Aware-Patil in public places such as temple complexes, village entrances and even next to statues of national leaders such as Dr BR Ambedkar and historical figures such as Ahilyabai Holkar. This has triggered tension between various social groups and communities, which was the intended motive....