Hostage drama: Had provided financial help to Rohit Arya, says former Maharashtra minister Kesarkar

Mumbai, Oct 30 (PTI) Former Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar on Thursday said he had given financial help to Rohit Arya, who died in a police operation earlier in the day after taking 19 people hostage in Powai area.

Arya (50), who 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 the Shiv Sena leader.

Notably, Arya had staged a protest in Pune last year for his `pending dues' from the education department.

He had met Arya and even offered him financial help after Arya complained that the department had defaulted on a payment due to him, Kesarkar said, speaking to reporters after the hostage drama ended.

The Mumbai Police rescued 19 persons including 17 children from a studio in Powai while Arya, who had held them hostage, succumbed to bullet injuries sustained during the operation.

As per 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 were to act as Swachhta (cleanliness) monitors and discourage people from spitting and littering in public places. Around 64,000 schools and 59 lakh students participated in it.

The second phase of the initiative was carried out under the 'Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala' scheme for which Rs 20.63 crore was sanctioned. Of this sum, Rs 2 crore was sanctioned for Swachhta Monitor phase 2, handled by Arya.

"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 could have demanded money from the government and given explanation for taking money from students, the former minister said, adding, "I met him since he used to run the Swachhta campaign.

In a video released before the police intervened, Arya said he had taken children hostage as part of a plan, and all he wanted was to have a "conversation" and ask questions to some people.

Arya had staged an "indefinite strike" in Pune last year for his pending dues, during which he suffered an epileptic attack and was rushed to a hospital by bystanders.

His wife, Anjali Arya, had 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 had alleged. PTI PR SPK KRK