India, Nov. 4 -- Former school education minister Deepak Kesarkar refused to speak to hostage-taker Rohit Aarya, who insisted on talking to him as hostage negotiations dragged on for more than two hours last Thursday.

During this nerve-wracking period, Aarrya held 17 children and two adults hostage inside RA Studio in Powai. Armed with what turned out to be an air gun and flammable liquid, he had threatened to set the studio on fire if his "simple" demands were not met.

Aarya, who was later shot dead by the police, had specifically asked to speak with Kesarkar. Investigators believe he was holding the children hostage as leverage to secure a commitment on payment of dues he claimed were owed to him.

Aarya had been assigned various proj...