When reel became real: Arya had told crew they were going to shoot children hostage situation
Mumbai (PTI): Rohit Arya had told his film crew that they were going to shoot a hostage drama involving children, without providing any inkling that he was planning a real-life situation which was to end in a tragedy, his videographer said on Friday.
Arya took 17 children and two adults hostage inside R A Studio in Powai on Thursday before being shot dead by police during a rescue operation.
Videographer Rohan Aher, who had been working with Arya for the last 10 years and was a prime witness during the three-hour drama, recounted the sequence of events before the media.
The auditions which Arya was conducting at a studio in Powai, ostensibly for a web series, had got over by Wednesday, but Arya extended them by another day, he said.
Aher had shot films for Arya's initiatives including `Swachhta Monitor' and `Lets Change' projects, he said.
On Wednesday, Arya told him that they were going to shoot a hostage situation involving children, Aher said. Arya also asked him to bring five liters of petrol and firecrackers for the shoot, but Aher did not follow the instructions as there were going to be children in the studio, he said.
When Aher reached the studio on Thursday morning, a spot boy told him nobody was allowed to go into the studio upstairs. After some time, Arya himself came down, and told him they wanted to shoot a scene involving fire, and he had brought bottles of rubber solution for the purpose, Aher said.
Arya also asked him to lock the gate and all the entry points of the studio. Subsequently, Arya poured the rubber solution and set it on fire in front of the children, he said.
Aher and others were scared and asked him not to do it, so Arya, wielding an air gun, asked Aher to stay away. Aher ran out of the studio and told the people standing outside they should call police, he said.
He then went upstairs and broke a glass window of the studio with a hammer (in an attempt to rescue the children inside), sustaining an injury to his hand, Aher said, adding that Arya sprayed pepper spray into his eyes, making him fall down the staircase.
Aher, however, helped a senior citizen woman who was inside to come out, and she too sustained a head injury in the process, he said.
In the meantime, police had reached the spot and started negotiations with Arya.
Aher again sneaked into the studio and asked the children to get out with him, but four children remained inside, he said.
By this time the police had forced entry into the studio.
When Aher returned to bring out the remaining children, he heard gunfire, he said, adding he did not remember how many shots he heard.
As per the police, Arya fired an air gun at them, and was hit in the chest in retaliatory firing. He was declared dead in hospital.
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Youngsters should be made aware of UP's condition before 2017: Adityanath
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday urged intellectuals and opinion makers to educate the younger generation about the condition of the state before 2017 and the transformation witnessed in recent years.
Addressing the "Prabuddh Samvad" programme organised by the BJP's Rapti Nagar Mandal at a marriage hall in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said youngsters must be made aware of the "era of riots, curfews, lawlessness and appeasement politics", so that such a situation does not return.
He said many youngsters today were too young to understand the condition of Uttar Pradesh 10 years ago. "If we do not tell the present generation what the state faced earlier, they will forget the consequences of misgovernance and appeasement politics," he said.
The chief minister alleged that before 2017, the state suffered from "goondaism, corruption, anarchy and exploitation by regional parties". He claimed that traders were forced to pay the "goonda tax", women felt unsafe and employment opportunities were limited, forcing many to migrate.
Highlighting the changes under the present government, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh now offers development, security and employment opportunities.
Referring to Gorakhpur, he said the fertiliser plant has resumed operations, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is functioning smoothly and the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College has improved healthcare services.
The chief minister added that industrial projects worth Rs 15,000 crore have generated jobs for nearly 50,000 youngsters in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Adityanath said India has emerged as a global inspiration under his leadership.
Referring to global tensions and rising fuel prices, he appealed to people to conserve fuel and adopt alternatives, such as solar energy, public transport, electric vehicles and carpooling.
Calling intellectuals the "opinion makers of the society", he said teachers, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs have a responsibility to guide people in the right direction. He also urged citizens to remain balanced during both favourable and challenging times.
Local MP Ravi Kishan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC Dharmendra Singh also addressed the programme. Mayor Manglesh Srivastava and several BJP leaders, professionals and social workers were present.
