HIGHLIGHTS:
- 17 children and two adults rescued after a three-hour standoff
- Hostage-taker Rohit Arya died after sustaining a bullet injury
- Arya had claimed pending dues from Maharashtra education department
- Police, fire brigade and NSG commandos carried out the rescue
A THREE-hour hostage situation in Mumbai’s Powai area ended on Thursday with the rescue of 17 children and two adults. The hostage-taker, identified as Rohit Arya, was killed after sustaining a bullet injury during the police operation.
Arya, 50, who had earlier claimed that his dues for a project with the Maharashtra education department were pending and had also staged a protest in Pune, was declared dead at hospital.
The incident began around 1.30 pm (IST) after Powai police received an alert that a man had taken 17 children hostage inside RA Studio in the Mahavir Classic building.
The children, boys and girls aged between 10 and 12, had been called to the studio for an audition for a web series that had been ongoing for six days.
In a video released before police intervention, Arya explained his motive, saying he planned to hold the children instead of committing suicide.
"I have very simple demands. Very moral, ethical demands. I have some questions," Arya said, adding, "I want to speak to some people... I want these answers. I am not a terrorist, nor do I have any demand for money. (I) want to make simple conversations."
He warned the authorities that "the slightest wrong move from your end may trigger me to set this whole place on fire....whether I die or not, the children will be unnecessarily hurt, traumatised for sure....I should not be held responsible."
Arya said that after the "conversations", he would leave the room, and added vaguely that "a lot of people have these problems" and that he would offer a solution through talks, though he did not specify what the problems were.
According to police, Arya had been conducting auditions at the studio for the past six days. The children would arrive at 10 am, get a lunch break, and finish around 8 pm. On Thursday, when the children did not come out for lunch, their parents became concerned.
"At about 1.30 pm, Powai police station received information that a person had taken 17 children hostage at Mahavir Classic building. The Mumbai Police team conducted a rescue operation and safely freed all the children. During the operation, while rescuing the children, the person got injured, was immediately rushed to the hospital and later declared dead," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade.
Arya was declared dead at 5.15 pm, officials said. "All the children are safe," said Satyanaranyan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), around 4.15 pm.
According to police, Arya was carrying an air gun and some chemicals. Parents waited anxiously outside the 10-storey building as the events unfolded.
After receiving information about a man holding children hostage inside R A Studio, teams from Powai police, the National Security Guard (NSG), the Quick Response Team (QRT), the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, and the fire brigade reached the spot, said DCP Nalawade.
Before the police entered, Arya’s video was circulated on social media. Nalawade said police tried to negotiate with him, but when talks failed, a police team entered the studio through the bathroom with the help of a ladder provided by the fire brigade to reach a first-floor window.
Seventeen children, a senior citizen, and another man were rescued, Nalawade said. "It was a challenging operation, because we were negotiating with him without any positive outcome....To save the children's lives was our priority," he added.
Former Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said he had provided financial help to Arya.
Arya, who had been a project director in an initiative run by the education department, had taken money from school students through a website, to which the department had objected, said the Shiv Sena leader.
Kesarkar said he had met Arya and offered him financial assistance after Arya complained that the department had defaulted on a payment due to him.
According to a government resolution of the School Education Department dated January 25, 2024, Arya was the director of Project Let's Change, which ran the Swachhta Monitor initiative from July 20 to October 2, 2023.
Under the initiative, school students acted as Swachhta (cleanliness) monitors to discourage spitting and littering in public places. Around 64,000 schools and 59 lakh students participated in it.
"I did not default on anyone's payment. I helped him through a cheque out of courtesy. The department was of the view that he took money directly from students by opening a website. The department has sought an explanation from him which was necessary," Kesarkar said.
Arya had also staged an "indefinite strike" in Pune last year for his pending dues, during which he suffered an epileptic attack and was taken to hospital by bystanders.
His wife, Anjali Arya, told mediapersons that her husband had been fighting to get the pending payment for his project.
"He was the project head for the PLC Swachhta Monitor. Kesarkar saheb liked the project and told him that the state government was sanctioning Rs 2 crore for it. The entire project was completed, but no funds were paid to Rohit. He did not even get recognition," she said.
(With inputs from agencies)
