How unpaid dues pushed Rohit Arya to take 17 children hostage in Mumbai

Rohit Arya, a 50-year-old man who was shot dead by the Mumbai Police on Thursday after taking 17 children hostage, claimed in a video he recorded before the incident that he acted out of frustration over unpaid "dues" from the state government. The charge was denied by Maharashtra's school education department.

 

Arya, who took the children hostage inside the R A Studio in the Mahavir Classic building in the city's Powai suburb, carried an airgun and inflammable spray. The children, aged between 10 and 12 years, were reportedly called for an audition in the building and were rescued after a 3.5-hour-long rescue operation.

 

As he held the children captive in the building, Arya recorded a video, claiming that hurting children was not his intention, adding that he just wanted to speak to certain people to recover his due of ₹2 crore that the state education department owed him.

 

In a scene that felt straight out of a Bollywood movie, Arya, in the video, said that his demands were "simple and moral and ethical", and added that he is not a terrorist and does not have any monetary demands.

 

Rohit Arya's alleged dues

 

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar, on Thursday, said that during his tenure as the education minister from 2022 to 2024, he asked Arya to carry out a cleanliness awareness drive, Swachhata Monitor, on a pilot basis. Kesarkar added that he paid Arya last year, after he raised complaints of the education department withholding the money that was owed to him.

 

Arya was the Project Director of Project Let’s Change – PLA Swachhata Monitor, a cleanliness initiative that the state’s Primary Education Department integrated into its Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala programme in 2022.

 

Rohit Arya's past actions

 

A police officer informed the media that in 2024, particularly in July, August, and October, Arya staged protests outside Kesarkar's official bungalow and the Azad Maidan, claiming that the state's education department used his short films and documentaries to shed light on cleanliness; however, they failed to give him his due credit or any payment for the work.

 

Posts on the ‘Swachhta Monitor’ Facebook page indicate that Arya frequently raised the issue of unpaid dues, alleging he had been treated unfairly and was compelled to continue his protest indefinitely.

 

His wife, Anjali Arya, previously informed the media that her husband had been struggling to get the sanctioned payment, which was approved by Kesarkar.

 

Govt's response to Arya's claim

 

In a statement released Thursday, the Maharashtra government's education department said that Arya did not back the claim for his 'dues' with relevant documents. Citing data, the department further claimed that the accused charged registration fees from several schools for participation in Swachhata Monitor 2024-25, a cleanliness drive in schools. Additionally, the budget that Arya submitted was vague and lacked proper documentation, the statement added further.