A video is being shared on social media claims that the statue of King Harshvardhan in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, was removed and replaced with a statue of Shivaji. Similarly, some individuals allege that the memorial of Indian Army Major Shaitan Singh Bhati in Ladakh was demolished and that a statue of Shivaji has been installed in its place.
Apoorv Singh claimed, ‘After independence, the statue of the country’s biggest real hero. Param Vir Chakra awardee Major Shaitan Singh ji Bhati should not have been removed.’
आजादी के बाद देश के सबसे बड़े रियल Hero 🇮🇳…… परमवीर चक्र से सम्मानित मेज़र शैतान सिंह जी भाटी की प्रतिमा को नहीं हटाना चाहिए था। #पैंगोंग_त्सो_लेक #मेज़र_शैतान_सिंह pic.twitter.com/FepJgdfveK
— कुँ अपूर्व सिंह जीरन (@asjeeran_) December 31, 2024
Thakur Puran Singh asserted, ‘First the memorial of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati ji was demolished in Ladakh, then the statue of Emperor Harshvardhan Bais ji in Prayagraj was removed from one place and shifted to another place. And now the statue of Maratha Shivaji has been installed at both the places (Ladakh and Prayagraj). Is this a coincidence or an experiment?’
पहले लद्दाख में मेजर शैतान सिंह भाटी जी का स्मारक तोड़ा गया, फिर प्रयागराज में सम्राट हर्षवर्धन बैस जी की मूर्ति को एक जगह से हटा कर दूसरे जगह शिफ्ट किया गया।
— Thakur Puran Singh (@puraansingh) December 30, 2024
और अब दोनों जगह (लद्दाख और प्रयागराज में) मराठा शिवाजी की मूर्ति स्थापित की गई।
ये संयोग है या प्रयोग? pic.twitter.com/qRomq3ptrc
Satyendra Pratap wrote, “A month ago, the statue of Maharaja Harshavardhan Bais, who initiated the Kumbh Mela, was quietly removed from the Mela area overnight under the guise of beautification and relocated 2 km away to the CMP crossing. However, a statue of Shivaji has been installed in the same Mela area. Can anyone explain why the statue of the king who started the Kumbh Mela has been placed outside the Mela area, while the statue of someone unrelated to the Mela is placed within it?”
अभी एक महीने पहले महाराजा हर्षवर्धन बैस जिन्होंने कुम्भ मेले की शुरुआत की थी ,उनकी प्रतिमा सौन्दरीयकर्ण के नाम पे रातों रात मेला क्षेत्र से हटाकर 2 km दूर CMP चौराहे पर लगा दी गयी थी लेकिन उसी मेला क्षेत्र में शिवाजी की प्रतिमा स्थापित की गई है | आखिर कोई बात सकता है कि जिस राजा… pic.twitter.com/YuaY0045Y6
— Satendra Pratap (@SatendraPr42678) December 30, 2024
Tanya Singh Sengar wrote, “First, Major Shaitan Singh Bhati’s memorial in Ladakh was demolished. Then, Emperor Harshavardhan Bais’s statue in Prayagraj was relocated from one place to another. And now, statues of Maratha Shivaji have been installed at both locations (Ladakh and Prayagraj). Is this a coincidence or an experiment?”
पहले लद्दाख में मेजर शैतान सिंह भाटी जी का स्मारक तोड़ा गया, फिर प्रयागराज में सम्राट हर्षवर्धन बैस जी की मूर्ति को एक जगह से हटा कर दूसरे जगह शिफ्ट किया गया।
— Tanya Singh Sengar~ तान्या सिंह सेंगर🇮🇳 (@TanyaSinhSengar) December 30, 2024
और अब दोनों जगह (लद्दाख और प्रयागराज में) मराठा शिवाजी की मूर्ति स्थापित की गई।
ये संयोग है या प्रयोग? pic.twitter.com/CcwesfQQBQ
Besides this, Pradeep Rajput, Ashu Rathor Om Prakash Rathour, Parth Singh, Dheeraj Pratap Singh, Rajputs of India, The Thakur force, Thakur Puran Singh, Pradeep Rajput and Ashu Rathor also shared the same claim.
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Fact Check
Major Shaitan Singh’s Memorial Removed?
To provide context about how this controversy began, here’s a brief background:
On November 18, 1962, during the India-China war, Major Shaitan Singh Bhati of the 13 Kumaon Regiment, a Param Vir Chakra awardee, and his 120 brave soldiers fiercely defended Ladakh’s Chushul Valley. They managed to eliminate approximately 1,300 Chinese soldiers, preventing them from advancing into the valley. The gateway to Chushul Valley, Rezang La, stands as a testament to the unparalleled courage and sacrifice of these Indian soldiers, a battle now famously known as the Battle of Rezang La.
The issue of removing the memorial dedicated to Major Shaitan Singh at Rezang La in Ladakh came to light on December 25, 2023. Konchok Stanzin, an independent councilor from the Chushul constituency in Leh, raised concerns in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote, “This landmark at Rezang-La held immense significance, honouring the courageous soldiers of “C” Coy 13 Kumaon. Sadly, it had to be dismantled during the disengagement process as it falls in the buffer zone. Let’s remember and honor their bravery!.”
This landmark at Rezang-La held immense significance, honoring the courageous soldiers of "C" Coy 13 Kumaon. Sadly, it had to be dismantled during the disengagement process as it falls in the buffer zone. Let's remember and honor their bravery! 🙏 #RezangLa #Kumaon #BraveSoldiers pic.twitter.com/UILzTeNYsi
— Konchok Stanzin (@kstanzinladakh) December 25, 2023
To verify the claim, we conducted a Google search for relevant information on the topic. We found a report published by Dainik Bhaskar on January 10, 2024. The Dainik Bhaskar reporter traveled to great lengths to investigate the matter. The report stated “that in Chushul, they met the acting Sarpanch, Namgyal Phunchok. He shared that he was previously the Deputy Sarpanch and, after the resignation of the female Sarpanch, he had been handling the responsibilities of the Sarpanch.
“When Bhaskar asked about the Major Shaitan Singh Memorial, he said, “The exact memorial for Major Shaitan Singh is located on the road in Rezang La Valley. It was built after the 1962 war. Initially, it was a small structure, but it was renovated around 2020. Since then, it has been expanded into a grand and magnificent memorial.”
Bhaskar report further states that “To uncover more, we met Sonam Regzin, who is fondly known as “SR Baba” in the village. He shared, “In 1962, the bodies of all 113 brave soldiers who were martyred at the top of Rezang La were brought down with the help of the Indian Army and the people of Chushul village.”
Bhaskar further added that during their visit “We visited the Shaitan Singh Auditorium (Audio-Visual Hall) located to the right-hand side of the memorial. The main door prominently displayed the logo of the 13 Kumaon Regiment. Upon entering, we saw a statue of Major Shaitan Singh, with the complete citation of his Param Vir Chakra award inscribed just below it. On the walls flanking the statue, photos of his fellow brave soldiers were displayed, along with their names, ranks, and the addresses of their villages. Additionally, the walls featured newspaper clippings from that era, recounting the story of the 1962 war.”
Independent councilor Konchok Stanzin from the Chushul constituency, whose post brought this controversy to light, spoke to Dainik Bhaskar. He clarified, “The post I made was regarding the memorial that was dismantled during the disengagement process. This was the location where Major Shaitan Singh’s body was found. As part of the disengagement process, certain structures on both the Indian and Chinese sides were removed. The memorial I referred to was built in 2020.”
He further explained, “If you’ve visited the Rezang La Memorial, you would have seen Major Shaitan Singh’s photograph displayed in the gallery. The site where the martyrs of the Rezang La battle were cremated has a very large war memorial, which was renovated by the Government of India and the UT administration. The renovation was inaugurated by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, the then Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat, and other top army officials. This main memorial, which was originally built in 1963, has now been made much more grand and magnificent.”
Stanzin concluded, “The post I shared is based on verified facts. If people misunderstood or misinterpreted it, that is their problem.”
We then contacted Manish Vyas, a journalist who covered this ground report in Ladakh for Dainik Bhaskar. Manish informed us that the main memorial for Major Shaitan Singh was built in 1963 and is officially recognized as the primary memorial. It still exists today and has been renovated into a grand structure.
The controversy, however, revolves around a different monument that was constructed in 2020. This smaller memorial was built by the army on the hill where Major Shaitan Singh’s body was found, as a tribute to his memory. The area was not open to tourists and was only accessible to the military.
Due to an agreement between India and China, both armies had to remove their permanent structures from the buffer zone, which led to the dismantling of this 2020-built monument.
During our investigation, we came across a report about the renovated Rezang La War Memorial in the Ladakh sector. The report highlighted that the Rezang La War Memorial was initially small but has now been significantly expanded. The memorial was inaugurated by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
Was Shivaji’s statue placed where Shaitan Singh’s memorial stood?
No, Chhatrapati Shivaji statue was installed on December 26, 2024 led by Lieutenant General Hitesh Bhalla, GOC of the Army’s Fire and Fury Corps, and the Colonel of the Maratha Light Infantry, along the Pangong Lake at an altitude of 14,300 feet, while Major Shaitan Singh’s Statue which was dismantled was in Ladakh.
To clarify this, we reached out to Konchok Stanzin, the independent councilor from the Chushul constituency. He stated that Shivaji’s statue has been installed at Pangong, while Major Shaitan Singh Bhati’s memorial was removed from the Chushul area of Ladakh. He further emphasized that the claim of Shivaji’s statue being placed at the site of Shaitan Singh’s memorial is entirely baseless.
Shivaji statue in Prayagraj?
After clearing the air surrounding the Major Shaitan Singh controversy, we moved on to the next claim that stated the statue of Harshavardhan Bains in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, had been replaced with Shivaji’s statue. In our investigation of the viral video, we noticed that a person in the video is providing a voiceover, claiming that Shivaji’s statue has been installed in Prayagraj. However, in the initial part of the video, we spotted a highway signboard mentioning the city of Pune in Maharashtra, indicating that the road leads to Pune.
Next, we conducted a Google search using specific keywords and found the viral video on the Instagram profile of a Maharashtra based user, ‘Aapli Sahyadri.’ They had posted the video on December 22, 2022, identifying it as being from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. Notably, the voiceover from the viral video was not present in the original video.
In the next step of our investigation, we found a photo of Shivaji statue on the Instagram profile of Maharashtra’s ‘Ch. Sambhaji Maharaj Nagar,’ posted on November 24, 2022.
We also found this photo on the Facebook page of Aurangabad Digital News, posted in November 2020. In September 2023, the Maharashtra government renamed Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Using Google Maps, we discovered that the Shivaji statue in the viral video is located at Kranti Chowk in Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra.
Further investigation revealed that the statue of Raja Harshavardhan was relocated in October 2024 from Tikonian Chauraha, the main entrance to the Mahakumbh area, to a spot in front of CMP College. The statue had to be moved due to the expansion of the Alopibagh flyover. Land was requested from the Army for this purpose, but when it was not granted, the statue was removed. Previously, during the 2019 Kumbh Mela, the perimeter around Raja Harshavardhan’s statue was reduced to make the intersection smaller during road widening. Now, with the Alopibagh flyover being extended toward Naini Bridge, the statue had to be relocated.
Conclusion
1: The claim that Major Shaitan Singh Bhati’s memorial was removed and replaced with Shivaji’s statue is misleading. Shivaji’s statue has been installed at Pangong, while Major Shaitan Singh Bhati’s memorial (built in 2020) was dismantled due Indo-China buffer zone disengagement in the Chushul area of Ladakh. Main memorial for Major Shaitan Singh was built in 1963. It still exists today and has been renovated into a grand structure.
2: The viral video claiming the replacement of Harshavardhan Bains’ statue with that of Shivaji in Prayagraj is misleading. The statue in question is located in Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, not Prayagraj. The video, originally posted in 2022, is not related to the Kumbh Mela.
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