Swarup in cop net, eggs debut in Tolly fight in fed-vs-fed clash

Kolkata: The New Alipore police on Thursday night arrested Swarup Biswas, brother of former state minister Aroop Biswas, on extortion charges. According to the complaint, it is alleged that he used to extort money from technicians at Tollygunge’s Technician Studio.

Swarup was the president of Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI). A section of technicians and workers had long harboured grievances against him. On Wednesday, BJP MLA from Tollygunge Papiya Adhikary, announced the dissolution of Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) and its 26 industry guilds.

The issue of dissolving the earlier body had snowballed into tension and violence in Tollygunge’s studiopara on Thursday morning. During a gathering of about 800 technicians at Bhorat Maath to discuss the situation, alleged outsiders attacked the crowd with eggs, bricks, and stones, injuring hairstylist Sraboni Das. National Award-winning makeup artist Somnath Kundu expressed dismay over the chaos, noting that cops failed to protect the workers, and instead urged them to leave the premises.

“I was appalled by what my colleagues had to endure. We have passionately served this industry for generations. Is this how we will be treated?” Kundu said.

In response to the sudden lack of leadership and the blanket ban on one of the nation’s oldest industry bodies, the technicians submitted a letter to the Information and Cultural Affairs department, addressed to the CM.

Actor and BJP MLA Rudranil Ghosh, who met some representatives of the guilds at Nandan on Thursday, was upset with how the technicians were heckled. “Outsidershurled bricks at our technician brothers and sisters. Cops have initiated strict surveillance. The CM has been told about the technicians’ grievances and he will take swift action.”

On Adhikary’s announcement, Ghosh said, “Everyone is trying to do good in their own way. However, the final decision will be taken by the CM and the ministry of information and broadcasting. Our CM is ensuring that there is no anarchy or dictatorial behavior.”

Many also protested the attack on technicians online. “Under the country’s labour laws, an MLA cannot dissolve an elected union simply by holding a meeting. Our Editors Guild is very active and will continue to remain so,” said editor Anirban Maity on Facebook.

Despite the backlash, Adhikary remained completely undeterred. Speaking to TOI, she stated, “We have identified five key offenders: Md Hassanuddin Sheikh, Babai, Sujit Hazra, Swapan Majumdar, and Bapi Malakar. They can go wherever they want, but I will not back down. These individuals are thugs—Frankensteins created within this industry—and we must clean it up. Our policy for them is detect, delete, and deport.”

Anticipating the intense pressure she might face as a woman taking such decisive action, she remained resolute. “I am ready for any backlash and will not be intimidated. I have seen the severe harassment our technicians have endured under these men. Nobody is misguiding me; I have my facts straight.”