Mumbai: A tense situation unfolded at RA Studios in Mumbai’s Powai on Thursday after reports that several children attending acting classes on the first floor had been taken hostage. Parents gathered frantically outside the studio as some children were seen looking out of windows in visible distress.

Police teams rushed to the scene after receiving the alert and cordoned off the area. A high alert was declared while officers worked to identify the suspect and determine his motive. The accused, identified as Rohit Arya, has been detained, and the children were later released unharmed, police said.

Authorities said Arya posted a video in which he made threats and set out his demands, and portions of that recording were circulated on social media. In the video he said, “I am Rohit Arya. Instead of committing suicide, I have made a plan and have kept some kids here. I don’t have much demands. I have very simple demands. I have very moral demands and very ethical demands. And I have some questions. I have to talk to some people. I have to ask them questions. If I have a counter-question on their answer, then I have to ask a counter-question. But I want this answer. ” He stated in the confession video that is going viral on social media.

“I don’t want anything else. Neither am I a terrorist, nor do I have a great demand for money. There is no demand for money. So, it is not immoral at all. I have to have simple conversations. And for that, I have taken these kids as a hostage. I have taken them as a hostage according to a plan. Let’s change format. I was really going to do it. I am going to do it. If I am alive, I will do it. If I die, someone else will do it. But it will definitely happen. It will happen with these kids only if they are not harmed. Because the slightest wrong move from your end will trigger me,” Arya stated in confession video.

Mumbai Police officials said the detained man is being questioned and that investigators are verifying the video and tracing any accomplices or underlying motives. Police sources confirmed that no injuries were reported among the children or staff.

Parents at the scene described a harrowing wait until authorities secured the premises and confirmed the children’s safety. The local police have appealed to the public not to share unverified footage that could hamper the investigation. Further details are expected as the probe progresses.

Patna, Oct 30: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday paid rich tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on the eve of his 150th birth anniversary and announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the salute of the grand parade to be held in Ekta Nagar on October 31.

Addressing a press conference on the celebrations planned to mark the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas-2025, HM Shah said that the Ministry has decided that a grand parade will take place every year on October 31 in front of his magnificent statue in Gujarat’s Kevadia.

He said that Sardar Patel made an immense contribution in uniting the country after independence, building today’s India and creating a united country.

He said that since 2014, PM Modi has been coming to Kevadia every year on October 31, where a grand parade is held.

HM Shah said that this parade is organised to honour all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the police forces of the states to reaffirm the unity and integrity of the nation.

Union Home Minister informed that this year, it has been decided to organise the Run for Unity on a much larger scale.

The run is being conducted across all states, Union Territories, district police stations, schools and universities throughout the country.

HM Shah said that after the run, every citizen will also take the Unity Pledge for the unity and integrity of the nation.

He said that on the occasion of Sardar Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Bharat Parv is being organised at Ekta Nagar, from November 1, and it will conclude on November 15, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

He said that Bharat Parv will culminate with a grand celebration of tribal culture and cultural programs on November 15. This programme will showcase a wonderful synthesis of the cultural diversity, food, costumes, crafts, folk art and music of tribes from across the country.

He said that during this national parade, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the police forces of several states will showcase their skills, discipline and bravery.

He said that this year’s parade will also include five Shaurya Chakra awardees from the CRPF and 16 gallantry medal winners from the BSF.

The parade will be led by women police officers and feature a variety of cultural performances, he said.

A Reddit post describing a tragic accident near Powai Plaza has gone viral for exposing the state of Mumbai’s emergency response system. The post, narrates how an auto-rickshaw driver lay injured on the road while no ambulance or police arrived for over 40 minutes, despite repeated calls for help.

“Mumbai — the so-called financial capital, the city that never stops — yet it couldn’t even send an ambulance when it mattered,” the post began. The user wrote that dozens of people passed by without stopping, until he and another man stepped in to help.

“We made him comfortable, called both the ambulance and the police. They took two minutes just to answer and kept saying ‘help is on the way.’ Forty minutes later, nothing. No ambulance, no cops, no help,” the post read.

The incident sparked an emotional debate on Reddit, with many users criticising both the systemic apathy and the lack of empathy among citizens. One user commented, “There is zero value for human life. Even for rich people, help often comes disguised as an incentive. For the rest, there’s none.”

Another user added, “We commoners are just pawns. The empire is built on our lives. In such situations, it’s better to act ourselves — don’t wait for the system. Pick the injured person and take them to the nearest hospital. Life is more important.”

The post has reignited discussions about the inefficiency of emergency services, especially in a city that prides itself as India’s most developed. Users called for better response coordination, faster ambulance dispatch systems, and public awareness about first-aid and immediate help.

The Powai accident has once again exposed an uncomfortable truth — in Mumbai, the “city that never stops,” help sometimes never arrives.