Tollywood holds silent protest, FIR filed in Rahul Banerjee drowning case

KOLKATA: A week after the tragic death of Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, who drowned in the sea at Talsari Beach in Odisha, the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum on Saturday filed a ‘zero’ FIR at Regent Park Police Station.

Accompanied by actress Priyanka Sarkar, wife of the deceased actor, several members of the forum, including Prosenjit Chatterjee, Shantilal Mukherjee, Rituparna Sengupta, Jisshu Sengupta, Kaushik Ganguly and Chiranjit Chakraborty, visited the police station to initiate legal action.

A case has been filed against Magic Moments Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd (directors, namely Saibal Banerjee and Leena Gangopadhyay) for criminal conspiracy and shooting in ‘negligent manner endangering human life and safety of others thus causing the death of Rahul.”

The FIR also mentions the contradictory statements made by the production house after the actor passed away during the shooting of the Bengali TV serial ‘Bhole Baba Paar Karega’.

Later in the day, a large number of celebrities and admirers joined a silent protest march from Technicians’ Studio to Radha Studio, demanding justice for the late actor.

Among those present were Ritwick Chakraborty, Rishi Kaushik, June Maliah, Arindam Sil, Rana Sarkar and Swarup Biswas, among others. Carrying placards, participants highlighted inconsistencies in the case and called for accountability. “There are many contradictory statements in this case. The production house should be held accountable,” said Sil. June Maliah emphasised the importance of safety protocols on sets, adding that Rahul’s case must not be overlooked. Federation President Swarup Biswas also said how the contradictory statements makes the case confusing and an investigation is needed.

Sources also indicated that Priyanka has travelled to Talsari in Odisha along with members of the Artists’ Forum to file a separate case there.

Rahul passed away on March 29 while shooting for ‘Bhole Baba Paar Karega’ at Talsari Beach. Since then, multiple conflicting accounts from eyewitnesses and the production house have surfaced, fuelling public concern. In an earlier statement, the production house said it was investigating the matter and would soon release a detailed report. Meanwhile, calls for justice have continued to intensify across social media.