Cine workers’ body demands FIR against producers, comp in Rahul Banerjee case

KOLKATA: The sudden demise of Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, who drowned in the sea at Talsari beach in Odisha on Sunday evening while shooting for Bengali TV serial ‘Bhole Baba Paar Karega’ shocked one and all. Rahul (43), who rose to fame with ‘Chirodini Tumi Je Amar’ in 2008, was also an acclaimed writer. Since the news of his death, several actors of the Bengali film industry have raised questions regarding the inconsistency in the versions of the witnesses, especially the director and production managers.

Questions have also been raised regarding the lack of safety precautions and for not seeking police permission. Now on Tuesday, the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) has written to the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for an independent and impartial investigation.

The cine workers’ body has also urged the state leaders to register an FIR under murder charges against the makers of ‘Bhole Baba Paar Karega’. They have also demanded strict investigation and accountability from producer Leena Gangopadhyay (who, in an interview, said there wasn’t any scene in the water), the production house and the channel. The cine body also demanded to blacklist and ban the producer, production house and channel and grant Rs 1 crore compensation to the late actor’s family, comprising his mother, wife-actress Priyanka Sarkar and son, Shohoj.

AICWA mentioned in a statement that shoots that involve water bodies, especially the ocean, require safety measures to include trained divers, rescue teams and

emergency preparedness.

The AICWA has highlighted that many production houses and filmmakers and channel entities compromise on safety protocols to cut costs, which puts the lives of workers and artists in danger. The organisation also stated that the incident shows ‘systemic failure and prima facie criminal negligence’. Meanwhile, despite repeated requests from several actors like Sudipta Chakraborty, Rupanjana Mitra, Sreelekha Mitra and others, the West Bengal Motion Pictures Artists’ Forum is yet to register any police complaint against the TV serial makers for negligence.