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Mumbai: Senior Inspector Jitendra Sonawane said that dealing with Rohit Arya on Thursday, when he held 17 children and two adults as hostage, was the toughest 80 minutes of his career, a media report said. Sonawane kept Arya talking, which distracted him while officials secretly entered the building to rescue the hostages. The children were called into the studio on the pretext of an audition, but the situation escalated and the incident has left several of them traumatised. At 2:19 pm on Thursday, Sonawane received a call about the abduction. When he arrived, he saw children signalling for help from behind a transparent plastic wall on the first floor. “I tried talking to Arya and asked him what he wanted. He asked for my mobile number and called me,” Sonawane said, reported The Indian Express. Arya told Sonawane he had lost money and had not been paid for some work. He insisted on speaking to certain people, seeking some answers. Though Arya assured that he did not mean any harm to the children, he had warned of burning down the whole place on any “wrong move” by the officials. In a self-shot video posted online, Arya said, “I am not a terrorist, nor do I have any demand for money. I want to have a simple conversation”. Also Read: VIDEO: Andaz Apna Apna Fame Actor's Bike Stunt Invites Ahmedabad Police Action; Here's What Happened Meanwhile, Sonawane carried on with his tactful interaction with Arya. “If you think I will do anything, I will tie my hands and come. Do whatever you have to do to me. Don’t harm the children,” he told Arya. When Arya and Sonawane were talking, two fire brigade officials and two police officers entered the building from the back. DCP Datta Nalawade also spoke to Arya, urging him to release the children. Sonawane, who stayed outside the building during the operation, said he felt goosebumps just recalling the incident. A fire brigade official explained, “We put a ladder to the bathroom window. As Arya talked to the senior inspector and threatened the children with a gun, we quietly cut the window grill without him noticing.” The officials then helped the two police officers enter the house. A brief exchange of gunfire followed, ending the operation. According to the police, Rohit Arya died after the talks with him failed. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors declared him dead upon arrival. Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade told news agency PTI, "It was a challenging operation, because we were negotiating with him without any positive outcome....To save the children's lives was our priority.” All the children were reunited with their parents and taken to a hospital on a school bus for treatment. Rohit Arya’s Long Fight for Recognition Rohit Arya, who police shot dead during the standoff at Powai’s RA Studio on Thursday, had long accused the Maharashtra government of taking credit for his project, ‘Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala’, which he said was based on his earlier film Let’s Change. Arya claimed state officials used his idea without giving him acknowledgment or payment. Over the years, he protested many times, including going on hunger strikes outside Kesarkar’s residence, demanding recognition and compensation. He had also publicly warned that if anything happened to him, officials like Kesarkar and members of the education department should be held responsible. During the crisis, the name of former Maharashtra education minister Deepak Kesarkar surfaced. Speaking exclusively over the phone, Kesarkar said he had met Arya in person to talk about his concerns and even gave him some financial help. But he claimed Arya did not provide the proper documents to prove his money claims. However, all the children returned safely to their homes, while the police investigation into the matter is underway. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Mumbai, India and around the world.
