Bengali film industry urges Kolkata Police to take legal action against social media harassment, details inside

Bengali film industry wants police action against social media harassment

The film exhibition committee representing the Bengali film industry on Friday wrote a letter to the Kolkata Police demanding strict legal action against those allegedly involved in targeted, vulgar and defamatory attacks on filmmakers and artistes through social media platforms.

The committee, on behalf of film federations, directors’ unions, producers, technicians, actors and actresses, in its written submission to Kolkata Police commissioner Manoj Verma, expressed serious concern over the increasing trend of online harassment on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and short video reels.

According to the complaint, some people use social media in a deliberate and planned manner to make personal attacks on producers, directors, actors and technicians associated with Tollywood. The committee’s letter, written in Bengali, said the attacks went beyond professional criticism, often harassing family members and disseminating obscene images, objectionable posts and offensive comments.

“Such incidents are especially concentrated during times when film trailers, promotional campaigns or theatrical screenings are published. It is alleged that during these times, filmmakers or artists are excluded and their personal lives and families are subjected to inappropriate and derogatory remarks. The language used in these posts is not only extremely offensive, but also exceeds all limits of decency,” the letter said.

The representative also emphasized that these constant online attacks cause serious damage to the social reputation of those targeted, have profound negative effects on their personal and family lives, and the situation becomes embarrassing and unbearable. “The issue has become a matter of serious concern for the entire industry,” he said.

A committee member from a major production company said: “We call on the authorities to take strict legal action against those responsible. The committee called for exemplary punishment to deter such crimes in the future and help restore a healthy and respectful environment in the film industry.” he said. Expressing confidence in receiving administrative support, the member said timely and decisive action would play a crucial role in preserving the honour, reputation and professional atmosphere of Tollywood.

Piya Sengupta, President, Motion Picture Association of East India (EIMPA) and Swaroop Biswas, President, Federation of Motion Picture Technicians and Workers of East India (FCTWEI), after meeting the CP (Commissioner of Police), said: “We spoke to Verma and senior officials of the cyber crime cell. We flagged issues like cyber harassment, manipulation of movie ratings to bring them down and distribution of altered footage which is unacceptable. The management assured Us that stringent action will be taken.”

Producer Rana Sarkar, producer-director Shiboprosad Mukherjee, EIMPA president Piya Sengupta, actors Jisshu Sengupta and Parambrata Chatterjee, music composer-director Indradip Dasgupta, FCTWEI president Swaroop Biswas were among the signatories.

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