Bengali filmmaker Arindam Sil suspended amid sexual harassment allegations

Bengali filmmaker Arindam Sil was suspended from the Directors' Association of Eastern India (DAEI) on Sunday following sexual harassment allegations. The suspension came after an actress filed a complaint with the West Bengal Commission for Women. This is the latest in a series of accusations against Sil over the years. DAEI stated that it found "prima facie evidence" against him, adding that the allegations tarnish the reputation of the entire organization.

“The cycle of sin is reversed. I thought I might not be able to see it in my life. God, you have kept this word, this is a lot. It took 20 years, let it be. To all the girls in our world. The time has come, to seize the honor. No more fear. Raise your voice, raise your fingers and scream and tear the masks of dirty people, unmask them. Everyone come out. We hold hands and move together. It is our right,” actor Swastika Mukherjee exulted in a Facebook post.

The suspension will continue indefinitely or until Arindam Sil is cleared of any wrongdoing by the investigating authorities.

The actor-director said his actions were misunderstood. He explained that the incident occurred recently while he was showing a scene to the actress. Sil admitted his mistake and expressed regret.

"I have been told that I ‘mishandled’ an actress while explaining the shot to her. Everyone was there on the floor…No one objected to my actions or conduct at that time…I always explain scenes to my actors and actresses before taking a shot. After the particular incident, the actress concerned willingly took part in the shoot for four more hours," he said.

Sil claimed he was asked to remove the word "unintentional" from his apology letter. He also said his assistant director, photographer, and EP of Surinder Films witnessed the incident. Sil felt the guild didn’t consult him before making the decision.