Over a hundred women artistes from the Bengali film industry on Tuesday, August 27, wrote to the state-run Tele Academy, demanding a safe workplace in the wake of the outrage following the rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Hospital.

Popular actors such as Roopa Ganguly, Swastika Mukherjee, Paoli Dam, Sohini Sarkar, Sohini Sengupta, Bidipta Chakraborty, Chaitali Dasgupta, Anuradha Ray and Shakuntala Barua and screenwriter Meghnatithi Banerjee were among the signatories to the letter, which was also sent to the Eastern India Motion Picture Association and the West Bengal Motion Picture Artists Forum.

A part of the letter said, “The people of West Bengal as well as the entire country are deeply shocked by the recent torture and murder of a woman doctor at her workplace – RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. In the wake of this heinous crime, it is encouraging to see that the entertainment industry – theatre artistes and technicians, musicians, make-up artists, dancers and choreographers, script writers and technicians are taking to the streets in fierce protest.”

It added, “However, it is indeed shocking that some of us have still not taken any action against the recurring incidents of sexual abuse/harassment/violence at our workplaces. As women working in the Bengali film, web platform and television industry, we face various forms of sexual abuse every day; and also hear about the rampant abuse of women, children and marginalised people on a regular basis.”

The letter from the Women’s Forum for Screen Workers said no effective support system exists to prevent, prohibit or deal with sexual harassment.

The letter highlights significant gaps in relation to information, access and advocacy. Occupational safety, health, favourable working conditionsAnd social security was guaranteed to all workers under labor laws.

Finally, the letter urged the implementation of a strict whistle-blowing mechanism to address cases where sexual favours are demanded in exchange for work opportunities. “We know that employers across all sectors have a responsibility to ensure the dignity and safety of workers in their workplaces; we strongly urge that television, web platforms and the film industry should be no exception,” it concluded.

First, Bengali actress Ritabhari Chakraborty shared a long note In a Facebook post on August 27, she demanded a thorough investigation into sexual harassment cases in the Bengali film industry. In the note, she said that she and many of her colleagues had to go through horrific experiences at the hands of influential actors and filmmakers in the industry, so the government should work towards establishing a body like the Hema Samiti in the Bengali film industry as well.