West Bengal: Hairdresser attempts suicide, blames Tollywood federation
Times of India | 23 September 2024
Representative Image KOLKATA: A hairdresser working in the Tollygunge film and television industry allegedly attempted suicide after writing a note naming 11 individuals for non-cooperation that led to her not getting enough work in the industry. She had allegedly poured kerosene on herself but was rescued by her daughter at their home before she could set herself on fire.
The persons mentioned in her note included 9 women and 2 and all of them are members of the Cine and Video Hair Stylist Guild, a part of Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI ), officials said.
"I was suspended for three months from May 1 by the Guild. I was not allowed to work properly after the suspension order was lifted. As a result, I could not discharge the responsibility that I have towards my family. Hence, I am forced to take my life," she wrote in the note.
Haridevpur cops noted down the complaint and later forwarded it to Regent Park police station, under whose jurisdiction the guild office falls. A senior officer of Kolkata Police said they have received a complaint against committee members of the guild and have started an investigation.
FCTWEI president Swarup Biswas said: "Every member has the right to work outside. All we ask them is to inform the guild about it."
Industry insiders claimed that the hairdresser had been suspended because she had wanted a fair election for the guild governing body. Actor Sudipta Chakraborty, who went with actor Daminee Benny Basu and director Sudeshna Roy to Haridevpur police station along with Das's daughter to lodge a complaint, said the threat culture that junior doctors had been protesting against is also there in the Tollywood industry.
Biswas told TOI that the hairdresser was suspended from work because she had indulged in various anti-guild activities. "How do you reprimand someone and still allow the member to work? Suspension is a disciplinary measure," he said.
"The daughter of the hairdresser said she had attempted to commit suicide but was saved before she could set herself on fire. We immediately took the woman, her daughter and accompanying relatives to MR Bangur Hospital in a police car belonging to the additional OC of the police station," said a senior officer of Kolkata Police.
Subrata Sen, president of the Directors Association of Eastern India (DAEI), "The situation was waiting to happen. FCTWEI has to mend its ways."
Director Indranil Roy Chowdhury said, "This incident is only confirming what we have said about FCTWEI's dadagiri."
Actor-director Parambrata Chattopadhyay said, "FCTWEI is an important trade union organization and not a recruitment agency or a quasi-judicial body. Why is it consistently overstepping its jurisdiction as a welfare body?"