‘I did not realise, the matter would become so serious’ says ex-minister who refused to speak to Arya during the 3-hour hostage drama in Powai

During negotiations, Arya told police that he was upset over non-payments of dues for a project he did for the school education department, despite several protests. “The person whom he wanted to ask questions was Kesarkar and accordingly, a DCP-rank officer called him up and apprised him of the situation. The former minister, however, refused to speak to Arya,” the official said.

When contacted, Kesarkar said, “I told the police team that they should connect him to the official concerned in the department. Initially it was not possible to talk to him as police were not in a position to connect. When I realised that the issue was regarding the pendency of dues, I told them to connect him with the department officials… I did not realise the matter would become so serious as there was no way to know such a thing.”

In the video released by Rohit Arya during the hostage crisis, he said, “I have very simple demands. Very moral and ethical demands. I have some questions. I want to speak to some people and on their answers, if there are any counter questions, I want to ask them. But I want these answers. I do not want anything else. I am not a terrorist, nor do I have any demand for money. Want to make simple conversations.”

Eventually an officer entered the studio and shot him dead and 19 people, including 17 children who had been held hostage, were freed.

The official said that during that one-and-a-half to two hours, the police team, including the Powai senior inspector Jitendra Sonawane and zonal DCP Datta Nalawade, negotiated with Arya even through video calls. Police also got the parents of the children to plead with him but he did not relent and insisted on “getting answers to his questions”.

As police saw Arya getting restless and aggressive, they decided to go ahead with plan B, which included entering the room from the bathroom window through a back entrance.

So far, police have recorded the statements of the children taken hostage and the owner of the studio where the incident took place. “We have not recorded the statement of Arya’s wife as the family said she was not in a state of mind to talk. We will record it in due course,” the officer said, adding that the couple and their son were residing in Pune before they shifted to Mumbai.

While Arya was born and brought up in Pune, his wife was from Gujarat, where the couple had spent a few years after marriage.

“Arya had an issue with some of the building residents over parking, following which they asked the landlord to evict Arya, even though he had made payment for three years,” an official said.
Police will also record the statement of actors who mentioned on social media that Arya had reached out to them.

SHRC seeks details

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) took cognisance of the hostage incident and sought details from the Mumbai Police. The commission also asked the investigation wing of the commissioner headed by Vishwas Pandhare along with VP Kedar, registrar of the commission, to probe the death and submit a comprehensive report with all evidence collected during the inquiry. The matter was posted for hearing before the SHRC on January 8.

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