Mumbai Hostage Crisis: Who Is Rohit Arya And What Triggered Him?

Rohit Arya, who was fatally shot by Mumbai police after holding 17 children hostage at an audition venue in Powai on Thursday, claimed in his final video that he carried out the drastic act due to unpaid dues from the government. However, the Maharashtra school education department has denied this allegation.

Armed with an airgun and a flammable spray, Arya held 17 children captive at a theatre in Powai, where they had been summoned for what was said to be an audition. After a tense rescue operation lasting three and a half hours, police successfully freed the children and fatally shot Arya when he refused to surrender and threatened to cause harm.

While holding the children hostage at RA Studio, situated in the Mahavir Classic building in Powai, Arya recorded a video in which he insisted that he did not intend to harm them. Instead, he claimed his actions were driven by the need to confront certain individuals to recover a payment of Rs 2 crore, which he said was owed to him by the Maharashtra education department.

“My demands are simple and moral and ethical. I am not a terrorist and do not have any monetary demands, and my demands are not immoral at all,” he said in the video.

Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar said that during his term as Maharashtra's state education minister from 2022 to 2024, he had requested Rohit Arya to pilot the Swachhata Monitor cleanliness awareness programme. Kesarkar also revealed that last year, after Arya raised concerns about withheld payments, he personally gave him some money.

Arya acted as the Project Director for Project Let's Change – PLA Swachhata Monitor, a cleanliness initiative adopted in 2022 by the state government’s Primary Education department under the ‘Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala’ scheme. This project aimed to engage students in monitoring and promoting cleanliness within schools as part of a broader effort to improve sanitary conditions.

In response to Arya’s assertions, the Maharashtra school education department issued a statement on Thursday addressing the dispute over the alleged unpaid dues to the filmmaker and activist. The department clarified that Arya failed to support his claim with the necessary documentation.

In August 2024, the education department said it instructed Arya to place the funds collected from schools and students into a designated government account and submit a comprehensive budget supported by relevant documents to proceed with further action. However, as Arya did not comply with these requirements, the issue was left unresolved.

Arya, who described himself as an acting coach and motivational speaker, was connected with the RA Studio in Mumbai. In the days leading up to the incident, he organised acting workshops and auditions for short films. Police have reportedly said that Arya resided in Mumbai while his family lived in Pune. He was also active on YouTube, running his own channel.