Social activist and advocate Nitin Satpute is set to file a writ petition in the Bombay High Court seeking an independent investigation into the death of Rohit Arya, who was killed by police on Thursday while he was allegedly holding school children hostage.
On Friday (October 31, 2025), Satpute wrote to the Chief Justice of India, the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, the Human Rights Commission, the Director General of Police, and the Central Bureau of Investigation, calling the incident a “fake encounter” and accusing the State government of endangering lives to cover up administrative failures.
Mumbai hostage scare by Rohit Arya echoes past incidents
In his letter, Satpute alleged that Arya was driven to desperation because the Maharashtra government owed him ₹2 crore. “The encounter was carried out to conceal the failure of the state police machinery under pressure. Why was Rohit shot in the chest and not in the legs? The government is solely responsible for the kidnapping of 19 minors and two adults,” he wrote.
Arya, who ran Apsara Media Entertainment Network, had implemented the Swachhta Monitor initiative under the School Education Department’s ‘Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala’ scheme. According to a government resolution dated January 25, 2024, Arya’s project involved over 64,000 schools and 59 lakh students. Despite initial approvals and partial payments, the second phase of the initiative was stalled, and Arya’s proposal for ₹2.41 crore remained under consideration.
