Maharashtra School Education Minister Dada Bhuse on Friday said he has sought a detailed report on the work done by Rohit Arya, the man who held 17 children hostage in Powai on Thursday, in connection with projects linked to the state education department.
Claims of Pending Dues and Past Protests
According to Arya’s claims, some dues related to a state education department project were pending, and he had previously staged protests in Pune over the issue.
Speaking to reporters, Minister Bhuse said that Arya’s company, Apsara Entertainment Network, had implemented the “Swachhta Monitor” initiative and collected money from schools for participation.
“The department appears to have taken action against him earlier. We have now sought a detailed report from the department on the work done by him,” Bhuse said.
Former Minister Admits to Offering Financial Help
On Thursday, former school education minister Deepak Kesarkar admitted that he had once offered Arya financial help after the latter complained about delayed payments from the department. Kesarkar also claimed that Arya had collected money from school students through a website — a move to which the department had objected.
Background of the ‘Swachhta Monitor’ Initiative
According to a government resolution dated January 25, 2024, Arya served as the director of Project Let’s Change, which conducted the Swachhta Monitor campaign from July 20 to October 2, 2023. The initiative aimed to encourage students to act as cleanliness monitors and discourage spitting and littering in public spaces.
Around 64,000 schools and 59 lakh students reportedly participated in the campaign.
The education department stated that the initiative was first approved on September 27, 2022, and implemented by Apsara Media Entertainment Network. The project’s second phase was reapproved on June 30, 2023, for which Arya’s company was paid ₹9.9 lakh. Under the Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala Sundar Shala initiative for 2023–24, the government sanctioned ₹2 crore for the next phase of Swachhta Monitor.
Project Evaluation and Rejection
Arya later submitted estimated costs for advertising, management, and film screenings under the project. However, the department stated that the scheme’s effectiveness could not be evaluated, and it was not implemented.
In 2024–25, Arya again sought ₹2.41 crore to relaunch the initiative, even as his proposal remained under consideration. Meanwhile, his firm began charging registration fees from schools through the portal www.swachhtamonitor.in.
Department Orders Fee Recovery
When the issue came to the government’s attention, the Education Commissioner was directed to recover the registration fees collected by Apsara Media Entertainment and to obtain an assurance that schools would not be charged in the future.
Since Arya did not comply with these directions, no further action was taken on his proposal, the department’s statement said.
