Maharashtra – The Mumbai hostage crisis that unfolded in Powai on Thursday evening shocked the nation when filmmaker and activist Rohit Arya held 17 teenagers hostage at an audition theatre. The siege, which lasted 3.5 hours, ended when police shot Arya during the rescue operation. During the Mumbai hostage crisis, Arya released a video claiming the Maharashtra government owed him ₹2 crore for work completed under a government-approved cleanliness initiative.
Late Thursday evening, the Maharashtra government’s school education department issued a detailed statement addressing the controversy surrounding the unpaid dues that allegedly triggered the Mumbai hostage crisis. The department’s response painted a significantly different picture from Arya’s claims, citing documentation issues and procedural violations.
The Swachhata Monitor Initiative
At the center of the Mumbai hostage crisis was the Swachhata Monitor Program, a cleanliness drive implemented in schools across Maharashtra. Rohit Arya’s firm, Apsara Media Entertainment Network, operated Project Let’s Change under this initiative. The program was first approved in September 2022 through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding via a government letter.
The initiative received approval for a second time in June 2023, with the government paying ₹9,90,000 to Arya’s company. For the third phase in 2023-24, under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala Sundar Shala campaign, the government approved a substantial fund of ₹2 crore to implement Swachhata Monitor Phase-2. However, this is where complications arose that would eventually contribute to the Mumbai hostage crisis.
Government’s Claims About Documentation Issues
According to the education department’s statement, the budget submitted by Arya for the ₹2 crore project lacked proper documentation and supporting materials. The proposal included various components such as advertising costs, management expenses, technical support, and online links for screening the Let’s Change film, but these items were presented without adequate supporting documents.
“Due to these technical gaps, this scheme could not be implemented,” the department stated, explaining why the funds were never released despite the initial approval. The government maintained that Arya was demanding payment without proper documentation, which violated standard government procurement procedures.
Unauthorized Fee Collection Discovered
The situation became more complex when the government discovered that Arya’s firm was charging registration fees directly from schools for participation in Swachhata Monitor 2024-25 through a private website, without government approval. This unauthorized fee collection became a significant point of contention in the dispute that preceded the Mumbai hostage crisis.
Arya had submitted a new proposal requesting ₹2,41,81,000 to implement the Swachhata Monitor 2024-25 initiative across all state schools. While this proposal was under government consideration, authorities learned about the private fee collection scheme.
Government’s August 2024 Directive
On August 23, 2024, the Commissioner of Education in Pune issued specific instructions to Apsara Media Entertainment Network. The company was directed to deposit all amounts collected from schools into a government account. Additionally, Arya’s firm was required to submit a written commitment that it would not charge any fees from schools for the Swachhata Monitor initiative going forward.
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The government stated that only after fulfilling these two conditions would Arya’s proposal for implementing Swachhata Monitor 2024-25 be submitted for approval. However, according to the department, Arya never provided the requisite information, preventing any further action on the matter.
Former Minister’s Personal Intervention
Former state school education minister Deepak Kesarkar revealed that he had personally given money to Rohit Arya after the filmmaker complained about payment defaults. Kesarkar, who served as education minister from 2022 to 2024, convened a meeting with department officials to investigate Arya’s claims.
“It was revealed that he hadn’t submitted the required documents. In government, no department can release funds without proper bills. He was demanding payment without documentation and refused to listen to officials,” Kesarkar explained. The Shiv Sena leader stated that he eventually paid Arya some amount from his personal account “out of humanity.”
Kesarkar also disclosed that Arya had staged a protest outside his home demanding payment, emphasizing that the filmmaker “should have sorted it out with the department instead of taking children hostage.”
Program Discontinuation
The Swachhata Monitor scheme was ultimately discontinued after the Devendra Fadnavis-led government assumed power following the 2024 assembly elections, marking the end of a program that had become synonymous with the tragic Mumbai hostage crisis.
Conclusion
The Mumbai hostage crisis exposed deep-rooted issues in government contractor relationships and payment processing procedures. While Arya claimed ₹2 crore in unpaid dues, the government maintained that proper documentation was never submitted, making payment impossible under established protocols. The tragic incident resulted in the loss of Arya’s life and traumatized 17 young hostages, highlighting the devastating consequences when contractual disputes escalate beyond legal and administrative channels. The Mumbai hostage crisis serves as a grim reminder of the importance of transparent communication and proper documentation in government dealings.
