Arya, 50, had previously served as project director of an initiative run by the state’s education department. According to Kesarkar, Arya had collected money from school students through a website, a move to which the department had objected
Former Maharashtra minister Kesarkar maintained that no payment default had occurred. Pic/Special Arrangement by Aditi Alurkar
Former Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar on Thursday said he had provided financial assistance to Rohit Arya, the man who died earlier in the day after taking 19 people hostage, including 17 children, in Mumbai’s Powai area, reported the PTI.
Arya, 50, had previously served as project director of an initiative run by the state’s education department. According to Kesarkar, Arya had collected money from school students through a website, a move to which the department had objected.
Speaking to reporters after the hostage situation ended, the Shiv Sena leader said that Arya had approached him last year, claiming that the education department had failed to clear his dues. “I met him and even helped him through a cheque out of courtesy. The department believed he had taken money directly from students by launching a website, so an explanation was sought,” Kesarkar said, according to the PTI.
Arya had earlier staged a protest in Pune over his alleged pending dues from the department. As per a government resolution dated 25 January 2024, Arya was director of Project Let’s Change, which implemented the Swachhta Monitor initiative between July and October 2023, the news agency reported.
The programme encouraged school students to act as cleanliness monitors, discouraging public spitting and littering. Around 64,000 schools and 59 lakh students participated. Its second phase, under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala scheme, had a total budget of Rs 20.63 crore, with Rs 2 crore allocated to Arya’s project, as per the PTI.
Kesarkar maintained that no payment default had occurred.
“He could have demanded payment through proper channels and given an explanation about the funds collected from students,” he said, adding that Arya had been known for his commitment to the cleanliness campaign.
Before the police operation, Arya released a video stating that he had taken hostages as part of a plan and only wanted to “have a conversation” and ask questions.
Last year, Arya had gone on an indefinite strike in Pune over his unpaid dues, during which he reportedly suffered an epileptic attack and was hospitalised.
His wife, Anjali Arya, told reporters that her husband had been fighting to receive payment for his project.
“He was the project head for the PLC Swachhta Monitor. Kesarkar saheb appreciated his work and said Rs 2 crore had been sanctioned. The project was completed, but he never received the money or recognition,” she claimed.
(with PTI inputs)
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