The Maharashtra government has categorically distanced itself from claims made by Rohit Arya, the Mumbai-based filmmaker who held 19 people, including 17 children, hostage in Powai on Thursday. Arya, who was killed in a police operation to rescue the hostages, had earlier alleged in a video that the state owed him Rs 2 crore for his company’s work on an urban sanitation initiative.
Rohit Arya’s Claim of Pending Payment
Before the tragic standoff, Arya had released a video stating that he was seeking “simple, moral, and ethical answers” from authorities. He claimed his firm, Apsara Media Entertainment Network, had not been paid for its involvement in an urban cleanliness project.
According to Arya, the alleged dues were linked to Project Let’s Change, a sanitation awareness campaign carried out in partnership with government agencies.
Hours after the hostage crisis ended, the Maharashtra Education Department issued a detailed statement confirming that Apsara Media had been selected to implement parts of Project Let’s Change in 2022 and 2023. The initiative aimed to instil cleanliness habits among school students, designating 59 lakh students as ‘swachhata (cleanliness) monitors.’
As part of this collaboration, a sum of Rs 9.9 lakh was released through a government order dated June 30, 2023. Later, during the 2023–24 financial year, the project was extended under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala Sundar Shala programme, with a total budget of Rs 20.63 crore allocated, including Rs 2 crore earmarked for activities linked to cleanliness monitors.
However, officials clarified that Arya’s submissions for funding were incomplete and contained inflated cost estimates for advertising, manpower, technical support, and the screening of his documentary Let’s Change. “Due to these technical gaps, the scheme could not be implemented,” the department said.
