‘He fired first, we had no option’: Police on Mumbai hostage-taker’s death
For nearly two hours, police negotiators tried to persuade Aarrya, who barricaded herself in RA Studio and refused to release the hostages. Even after learning that one of the children had a seizure, Aarrya allegedly did not show any willingness to cooperate.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti said, “Whatever his demands were, we couldn’t let him play with people’s lives. He shot at the police first. Our team responded in self-defence. There was no other option,” and emphasized that the police officers acted according to protocol and prioritized the safety of the hostages.
Accordingly TOI, Egal experts have since called for a mandatory magistrate’s inquest into the encounter to corroborate the police’s version of events.
From activism to violence
Although Aarrya’s exact purpose remains unclear, her past provides some clues. In 2024, he staged a hunger strike against the then school education minister, Deepak Kesarkar of Shiv Sena, over alleged non-payment of Rs 2 million for a government-approved school cleaning project. Kesarkar claimed that he helped Aarrya “out of understanding” but maintained that the producer was already collecting money directly from the participants.
Accordingly TOIs Police sources revealed that Aarrya had been holding auditions for a web series at her Powai studio for five days before the incident. Thursday would be the final casting round, with children from across Maharashtra participating.
A rapidly scaling Operation
Chaos broke out at around 1.45pm when worried parents outside the studio raised the alarm after their children had not turned up for lunch. An anonymous call brought Powai police to the scene within minutes, with ambulances and fire crews following. “It was a difficult and delicate rescue operation,” said DCP Datta Nalawde. After attempts at dialogue failed, officers broke through the bathroom grate to reach the hostages. Police officials told TOI Aarrya fired an air gun, leading to a brief gunfight. It was announced that the person who was hit in the chest died later in the hospital where he was taken.
All 19 hostages were rescued safely.
(With contributions from TOI’s Bella Jaisinghani, Richa Pinto and S Ahmed Ali)
