Daijiworld Media Network- Karkala
Karkala, Jul 15: In a major revelation surrounding the controversial Parashurama Theme Park statue project, the Karkala police have filed a voluminous 1,231-page chargesheet, exposing serious irregularities in the construction of the much-publicized Parashurama statue.
The chargesheet has been submitted to the Karkala court against three key individuals — sculptor Krishna Naik, Udupi Nirmiti Kendra Project director Arun Kumar, and engineer Sachin Y Kumar. The trio has been charged with criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, fraud, and destruction of evidence.
The case was initially registered on June 21, 2024, following a complaint filed by Krishna Shetty. According to the complaint, Krishna Naik’s organization, Krish Art World, had received funds from the Udupi Nirmiti Kendra to construct a bronze statue of Lord Parashurama for the theme park in Karkala taluk. However, it was later alleged that the statue was fabricated using brass — a cheaper metal — instead of bronze, thereby defrauding the government.
An expert inspection and detailed investigation confirmed that the statue was indeed made of brass, not bronze. Moreover, the investigation further revealed that both the Project Director and Engineer failed to comply with several critical conditions outlined in the official work order.
A striking detail that emerged from the probe was regarding the transport and storage of the statue’s upper portion. On October 12, 2023, the upper part of the Parashurama idol was moved from Umikal hill and stored at the Nirmiti Kendra’s shed in Pragati Nagar, Alevoor. It remained there until February 25, 2024. However, sculptor Krishna Naik had misled authorities, falsely claiming that the structure had been transported to Bengaluru.
Following months of investigation, the police concluded that the accused deliberately misrepresented facts, violated contractual obligations, and colluded to cheat the government by delivering substandard work.