Responding to allegations made by Rohit Arya, who held 16 children hostage on Thursday, former School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar stated that he had personally paid the deceased by cheque for his work related to a government campaign. Arya had earlier claimed that he was owed Rs 2 crore by the government and had accused officials of denying him payment for his project — a grievance he said pushed him to take the drastic step.

Speaking to reporters, Kesarkar said, “When I was the education minister, I personally helped him and paid him by cheque. However, for any government payment, proper documentation and formalities must be completed. His claim that Rs 2 crore was due does not appear valid to me. He should have verified the matter with the department and presented the required papers.”