Maha govt denies claims of hostage taker Rohit Arya not getting dues; issues clarification
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Maha govt denies claims of hostage taker Rohit Arya not getting dues; issues clarification")
People gather outside the RA studio at Powai, where a man, identified as Rohit Arya, held several children hostage. He was later shot during the rescue operation, in Mumbai on Thursday (Oct 30). Photograph: (ANI)
In an official release, the Maharashtra government noted that Arya’s CSR project ‘Swachhta Monitor’ was approved only once in 2021 with funding of 9 lakh rupees, but its subsequent versions, ‘Swachhta Monitor 2.0’ and a 6.14 crore rupees proposal for 2024–25, were never sanctioned.
The Maharashtra Government has issued a detailed clarification denying the claims of Rohit Arya, who had taken 17 children hostage yesterday in Mumbai’s Powai area and was later shot dead by Mumbai police. In his last video, Arya said he was committing the act over payment of "dues" from the state government. "I am not a terrorist and do not have any monetary demands, and my demands are not immoral at all,” he said.
Now, in an official release, the Maharashtra government noted that Arya’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) project ‘Swachhta Monitor’ was approved only once in 2021 with funding of 9 lakh rupees, but its subsequent versions, ‘Swachhta Monitor 2.0’ and a 6.14 crore rupees proposal for 2024–25, were never sanctioned.
The state government further clarified that Arya's organisation continued activities privately without authorisation and without approval to collect funds from schools.
Arya claimed that his campaign was used as the basis for the PLC Swachhta Monitor programme launched in 2022 and that he was sidelined once the initiative was adopted by the state. Arya had served as Project Director for Project Let's Change - PLA Swachhata Monitor.
Former Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar told the media that he had given financial help to Arya.
“Arya had been a project director in an initiative run by the education department, took money from school students through a website, and the department had taken objection to it”, said Kesarkar.
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Notably, Arya had staged a protest in Pune last year for his ‘pending dues’ from the education department.
Keskar had met Arya and even offered him financial help after he complained that the department had defaulted on a payment due to him, he further told the media.
On the other hand, Arya’s wife told the media that her husband was the project head for the PLC Swachhta Monitor, but he did not get any recognition from the government, and no funds were paid to Arya. Mumbai Police say they are investigating to find out the truth.
On Thursday, the three-hour hostage crisis unfolded around 1:30 pm at R A Studio, located in the Mahavir Classic building, Powai, when Powai police received an alert about a man holding children captive.
The children, aged 10 to 12 years, had been attending auditions for a web series for the past two days.
Before police intervention, Arya released a video message explaining his motives. In the clip, he said he had chosen to take hostages instead of committing suicide, insisting he was 'not a terrorist' and had no demand for money.
Arya claimed he only wanted to ask some moral and ethical questions and warned that any wrong move by the authorities could lead him to set the studio on fire, potentially harming the children. “I want to speak to some people… I should not be held responsible if anything happens,” Arya said in the video, adding that after the conversation, he would walk out. His demands, however, remained vague.
The Mumbai Police swiftly mobilised teams from the Quick Response Team (QRT), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, Fire Brigade, and negotiators. The officers entered the building through a duct using a ladder to reach the first floor, where Arya was holding the hostages. First, they tried negotiating with Arya face to face, but it did not work. Police say that, during the rescue operation, Arya allegedly fired on one of the police officers with an air gun, and he was hit by a police bullet during the scuffle. He was taken to the nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. All 17 children and two adults were rescued safely by the Mumbai Police.
On Friday morning, the Mumbai Police recovered a pistol, petrol, inflammable rubber solution, and a lighter from the Powai studio. A forensic analysis of the seized materials is currently underway. The Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the investigation, registering a case under Sections 109(1), 140, and 287 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
