The West Bengal Motion Pictures Artists' Forum (WBMPAF) has decided to file an FIR against production house Magic Moments following the death of actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee during a shoot at Talsari beach in Odisha.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting held late Friday night at Technicians Studio in Tollygunge. Senior industry figures including Prosenjit Chatterjee, Shantilal Mukherjee and Saswata Chatterjee were present.

Banerjee died in an accident on March 29 while shooting for a television serial. Allegations of negligence have since been raised against the production house. The Forum had earlier sought details of the incident from Leena Gangopadhyay, who is associated with the production house.

A response was received on Thursday, but Forum members said late Friday that the explanation was “unsatisfactory”, prompting the decision to initiate legal action.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, Mukherjee said the Forum was not satisfied with the production house’s response and that a thorough investigation was necessary to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the actor’s death.

Chatterjee said, “Accepting Rahul’s sudden passing like this is very difficult. It took us two to three days to even process that something like this had actually happened. And in the meantime, there has been so much written on social media that it’s beyond words. Anyway, every member of the industry is like family to us. The Artists’ Forum has taken this decision keeping everyone in mind.”

The Forum believes that those responsible for Banerjee’s death will be identified through an investigation. The exact timing of filing the FIR has not yet been finalised, though Chatterjee indicated it is likely to take place around noon.

Meanwhile, members of the Bengali film and television industry have called for a protest march on Saturday at 4 pm from Technicians Studio, demanding justice for the deceased actor. The slogan “Justice for Rahul” has gained traction on social media.

However, the Artists’ Forum has distanced itself from the protest. In an official statement, it clarified that it neither called for nor is participating in the march, though individual artists are free to join in their personal capacity.

The statement read: “On Saturday, the 4th, from 4 pm, a call has been given for a protest march against the tragic incident involving Rahul. In this regard, no formal invitation has been extended to us to participate in the march. As an organisation, we are neither the convenor nor a participant in it. However, if any artist wishes to join the march in their personal capacity, they are free to do so. We, as an organisation, have no objection to that.”

Sections of the Tollygunge film industry have alleged that the production house and channel authorities are attempting to suppress the truth. Questions have been raised over why the shoot was conducted at a hazardous location and whether adequate safety measures were in place.

The incident has triggered widespread anger among artists and technicians, with calls for accountability expected to intensify in the coming days.