The Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) has summoned a meeting of all elected executive committee members from its affiliated guilds, associations, and unions amid the ongoing legal challenges and internal disputes plaguing the Bengali film industry.​

The meeting is scheduled on May 1 at Technicians Studio in Kolkata, as per a WhatsApp message purportedly signed by federation president Swarup Biswas and general secretary Abhijit Ghosh.​

The agenda, as per the WhatsApp message, includes discussions on the “ongoing court case against the federation by a section of filmmakers” and the “conspiracy, slander, and misinformation campaign launched against workers and technicians”.

The message emphasised that the presence of all executive committee members is “desired and compulsory”.

The legal dispute centres on a writ petition filed by independent filmmaker Bidula Bhattacharjee, alleging that FCTWEI interfered with her professional activities, infringing her constitutional rights to livelihood and business.

On April 3, Justice Amrita Sinha of the Calcutta High Court issued an interim order restraining FCTWEI from obstructing Bhattacharjee's work and directed the state government to address the grievances raised.​

The petition has garnered support from prominent industry figures, including directors Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Anirban Bhattacharya, Sudeshna Roy, Indranil Roychowdhury, and Subrata Sen — all of them are members of the Directors’ Association of Eastern India (DAEI). They have alleged that FCTWEI has been overstepping its authority by enforcing outdated codes of conduct, denying health insurance access, and blacklisting directors who do not comply with its directives.​

Despite the court's directive, tensions remain high. Earlier this week, Sudeshna Roy, chairperson of the DAEI, said technicians failed to show up for her film shoot, effectively stalling production. She expressed frustration over the continued non-compliance with the court's order.​

Subrata Sen, president of DAEI, criticised the federation’s directive, comparing it to past political interference in the industry. “There is still time to go for May 1. But here is an example of how the federation is trying to shut down the industry, following the footsteps of the CPI(M),” he wrote on Instagram.

When contacted, Sudeshna Roy, the chairperson of DAEI, said she has heard about the said meeting but refused to comment on what she expected out of it.

Text messages to Swarup Biswas, who is also a prominent member of the Trinamool Congress, went unanswered.