Rohit Arya, who was shot dead by Mumbai Police after holding 17 children hostage at a theatre in Powai, recorded a final video explaining why he took such a step. In the video, Arya said he did not want to harm the children, but wanted to draw attention to what he claimed was an unpaid amount of ₹2 crore owed to him by the Maharashtra government.

Arya said his demands were “simple, moral, and ethical,” and stressed he had no terror motives behind his actions.

The incident took place on Thursday (October 30) at RA Studio, a commercial and residential building in Powai. Arya reportedly entered the theatre with an air gun and a flammable spray and held the children for several hours before the police moved in.

In the video, Arya said he had been trying to get payment for months for work he did under the ‘Swachhata Monitor’ programme, a project aimed at promoting cleanliness in schools. Arya had served as Project Director for a campaign titled ‘Project Let's Change’.

Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar, who served as Maharashtra’s Education Minister from 2022 to 2024, confirmed that Arya had indeed been hired to run cleanliness awareness activities in schools.

Kesarkar said he had even personally helped Arya with some money when Arya complained about a pending payment. However, he also noted that Arya did not submit the required documents needed to release the full funds.

The Maharashtra education department stated that Arya had collected registration fees from schools without approval and had submitted a budget that was unclear. Officials said payments were held back because the documents needed to justify expenses were not submitted properly.

In August 2024, the government asked Arya to return the fees collected from schools and provide detailed records before more money could be released. The project was later shut down after a change in government.

The hostage standoff lasted about 3.5 hours, after which the police rescued all 17 children safely and shot Arya.

Kesarkar said Arya should have followed legal and official channels instead of resorting to such extreme action.

The incident has now sparked a wider discussion about government payment delays and the pressure faced by people working with public projects.