Former Maharashtra Minister Helped Man Who Later Took Hostages in Powai

Mumbai | Former Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar stated on Thursday that he had provided financial assistance to Rohit Arya, who lost his life during a police operation after taking 19 people hostage in Powai

Arya, aged 50, previously served as a project director for an initiative under the education department. Kesarkar explained that Arya had collected money from students through a website, which raised concerns within the department

Arya had also staged a protest in Pune last year regarding unpaid dues from the education department. After Arya raised concerns about delayed payments, Kesarkar met him and offered financial support

During the Powai incident, Mumbai Police rescued 19 people, including 17 children, while Arya succumbed to bullet injuries during the operation

According to a government resolution from January 25, 2024, Arya served as director of Project Let’s Change, overseeing the Swachhta Monitor initiative between July 20 and October 2, 2023

The initiative involved school students acting as Swachhta monitors to discourage spitting and littering in public spaces, with participation from 64,000 schools and 5.9 million students

The second phase of the program was part of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala scheme, with a sanctioned budget of Rs 20.63 crore. Arya managed Rs 2 crore allocated specifically for Swachhta Monitor phase two

Kesarkar emphasized that he had not defaulted on any payments and had helped Arya out of courtesy. He noted that the department required Arya to explain the money collected from students and could have sought funds directly from the government

In a video before the police intervention, Arya claimed he held the children hostage to initiate a conversation and ask questions

Last year, Arya staged an indefinite strike in Pune over pending payments and suffered an epileptic seizure during the protest. His wife, Anjali Arya, mentioned that her husband had been trying to secure overdue funds for his project

She added that although the state government sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the Swachhta Monitor initiative, Arya received neither the funds nor recognition for completing the project.