Bengali Director Arindam Sil Suspended By DAEI After Sexual Harassment Allegations

Bengali actor-turned-filmmaker Arindam Sil has been suspended by the Directors Association Of Eastern India (DAEI) after allegations of sexual assault.

Bengali actor-turned-filmmaker Arindam Sil has been suspended by the Directors Association Of Eastern India (DAEI) amid allegations of sexual assault.

Source : IMDb

New Delhi: Bengali actor-turned-filmmaker Arindam Sil has been suspended by the Directors Association Of Eastern India (DAEI) after allegations of sexual assault. The suspension, which is effective immediately, comes after a review meeting of the DAEI. 

As per a letter issued by DAEI president Subrata Sen and secretary Sudeshna Roy, "Due to certain allegations made against you, and prima facie evidence we have with us, which are of deep concern and is maligning to the entire organisation, DAEI has decided to suspend you from membership for an indefinite period or till the allegations against you are cleared."

 

Speaking to ABP Ananda, Director’s Guild president Sudeshna Roy said: "This discussion had been going on for a few days, and finally, we have gathered enough evidence. We cannot make any decisions based on rumors. Since we have received evidence, we have unanimously suspended his membership until this issue is resolved, meaning until he is proven innocent. At this moment, we have suspended him, and we are not responsible for any of his work. This suspension will remain in effect until he clears himself of the charges because we take sexual harassment allegations very seriously.' Notably, Arindam Sil had also joined the protest march with artists in protest of the RG Kar incident."

How it all began

Arindam Sil has been courting controversy for several months now, after a female actor accused of behaving inappropriately on the set of one of his films. According to the actor, the director 'kissed' her on the cheek while explaing a scene, which was not appropriate. This led her to file a complaint with teh state's women commission, beginning a series of hearings.

Post the complaint, the Women's Commission held three hearings involving Arindam Sil. During these hearings, Sil was interrogated over the alleged incident.

He also appeared before the Women's Commission once more and issed a formal apology. In his apology letter, he wrote, "If the actor has been insulted by my unintended behaviour, I sincerely apologise for it.”

However, despite his apology, the DAEI decided to suspend his membership for an indefinite period of time or until he is cleared of all charges.