Anupamaa: 'Murder, Not Death', Says AICWA On Crew Member's Electrocution, Urges Show Suspension

Anupaama Crew Member Death: A camera attendant on sets of popular TV show died following electrocution earlier this week, All India Cine Workers Association has alleged. Police have registered an FIR against contractor for negligence. cine workers' body has written a letter to Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde urging urgent intervention in matter. y have laid down certain conditions, including compensation to time of ₹1 crore for deceased's family and suspension of all shooting activities on set of Anupamaa and or associated productions until a thorough investigation is completed and accountability is established.

AICWA calls camera assistant's death on set "institutionalized murder"

letter written by AICWA president Suresh Shyamlal Gupta to Maharashtra CM Shinde re, "We write to bring to your urgent attention a heinous incident that occurred on 14th November 2024 at Film City, Mumbai, where a 32-year-old camera attendant lost his life due to electrocution while working on sets of TV show Anupamaa. This is not merely an accident-it is an institutionalized murder caused by reckless negligence and greed of producers, production house, and channel."

After death of Vineet Kumar Mandal, shoot continued till midnight. Calling it "shocking", Gupta wrote, " worker's tragic death took place at approximately 9:30 PM due to electrocution caused by faulty and poorly maintained equipment on set. What followed was even more shocking- shooting continued until midnight as if nothing h happened, showing a complete disregard for deceased worker's life. Even worse, production resumed shooting very next day, blatantly ignoring gravity of situation."

letter furr re, " hazardous conditions on sets, perpetuated by use of old, damaged, and poorly insulated electric wires patched with plastic tape, created a death trap for workers. This systemic disregard for basic safety protocols has led to yet anor preventable loss of life."

What are demands of AICWA?

AICWA has me following demands from Anupamaa team and production house Director's Kut Productions, owned by Rajan and Deepa Shahi.

• 
  File an FIR for murder (Section 302 IPC) against:

-- producers of Anupamaa
-- production house
-- channel responsible for creating and sustaining such unsafe working conditions
-- Film City Managing Director and Labour Commissioner for ir complicity in allowing se hazardous conditions.

• 1 crore compensation to be provided to family of deceased worker.
• Suspend all shooting activities on set of Anupamaa and or associated productions until a thorough investigation is completed and accountability is established.
• Immediate inspection and enforcement of safety protocols on all sets, with strict penalties for non-compliance.
• Hold all responsible parties accountable, including producers, production houses, and channels, to set a precedent that human lives cannot be treated as disposable.

Established in 2016, AICWA is a tre union body consisting of daily wage earners, actors, stunt persons, and choreographers, among ors. It has over 1 lakh members across India.