Rahul Arunoday Banerjee Death: Prosenjit, Rituparna Sengupta, Santilal Mukherjee Call for Stringent Safety Measures and Demand Absolute Truth (EXCLUSIVE)

The West Bengal film fraternity is still reeling under shock and utter dismay at the tragic and untimely demise of Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, who reportedly drowned on March 29. Rahul was filming at Odisha’s Talsari Beach for the show “Bhole Baba Paar Karega.” Later, the local police confirmed that no permission was taken for the shoot and security protocols were absent. The fraternity has dismissed Producer Leena Gangopadhyay’s explanation as unsatisfactory. Just after his demise, she said that Rahul went into the sea all alone despite warnings from the crew present. There have been contradictory statements from the crew, which has left people disappointed and angry. 

The West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum and the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India have announced that they will go on an indefinite strike from tomorrow. The official note reads, “Accordingly, the discontinuation of work shall come into force with effect from 7:00 A.M. on Tuesday, 7th April 2026, and shall continue until concrete, verifiable and satisfactory safety measures are implemented across all sectors, including Television, Fiction, Non-Fiction, OTT, Advertisements and Films. This decision has been undertaken in the collective interest of safeguarding the rights, safety, and well-being of all artistes, technicians, and workers, and to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.” 

On April 5, senior artists from the industry, like Prosenjit, Aparna Sen, Rituparna Sengupta, Srijit Mukherjee, Parambrata Chatterjee and others, took part in a rally demanding justice and better safety for cast and crew. Speaking to Variety India, veteran actor Santilal Mukherjee, who is also the general secretary of the body (West Bengal Motion Picture Artists’ Forum), told us, “We want all channels, filmmakers and bodies to come together for a discussion on cast and crew members’ safety. They have to ensure that emergency aid is available with all protocols in place. This strike will continue till we get a suitable response from the producer and the channel.”

When we asked him if they would also fight to seek financial compensation for actress Priyanka Sarkar, wife of the late actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee, he said it was her prerogative. “It is not something we are demanding as an organization. If she wishes to seek financial compensation, we shall support her. Rahul’s demise has left us shattered,” he expressed.

Will the strike affect the mahurats and schedules around Poila Baisakh 2026 (Bengali New Year)? “Honestly, that is not our priority. If this gets done before, things will move ahead, but if we do not get suitable redressal, this strike will continue,” he signed off.

Rituparna Sengupta, who had rushed to Talsari with Priyanka Sarkar, told Variety India, “The immediate demand of the working body is to know the truth, exactly what happened on the spot, because we have lost him to an accident which happened during the shooting; whether safety measures were there, whether there was any permission obtained, whether people were there, because nothing is clear, because there are too many versions out there. There are hundreds of interpretations, which are neither desirable nor believable. So, we have demanded an extensive investigation and an extensive explanation from the production house.” Some reports suggested that Rahul Arunoday Banerjee died in an effort to save a colleague. Sengupta adds that this incident has exposed how vulnerable cast and crew can be. She stated, “It is a huge eye-opener for us and a sacrifice of a life has actually opened our eyes wide for us to insist on the safety and security of an artist because an artist becomes absolutely emotionally invested. They don't even know what's happening, what is the safety ring around them, if there is any. So, we need to really know from the producers or the production company.”

She added that, like every other artist who joined this protest, the demand is clear: Absolute transparency on security measures on set. Rituparna said, “That should come up from the producers and the channels and the production houses and people who are responsible for binding all the actors and artists and the technicians together under one roof. So, we have given them mandates.”

Prosenjit said, "We have only one demand. We want to know the absolute truth behind his demise. We want to know the reality of the circumstances that led to this tragedy. The body has issued a 24-hour notice to all producers and channels before we discontinue work. You have to wait for 24 hours to know what their reaction is to this. This is for Rahul’s mother, wife, son and loved ones who deserve to know the truth. The organization had sent an email to the production house, but their reply was too vague. We did not get any clarity. After 24 hours, we will decide on the next course of action.”

Prosenjit said that while it is an accidental demise, this is a fight for the truth. He highlighted that countless well wishers and followers of Bangla entertainment across the globe want to know how and when it went wrong.