Kolkata, June 15 (IANS) The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police is taking over the charge of the investigation into the mysterious death of popular Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee at Talsari beach in neighbouring Odisha in March.

This comes following the instruction of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

Banerjee, a 42-year-old talented actor, died on March 29, while shooting for the television series ‘Bhole Baba Par Karega’ at Talsari beach. He entered the water at Talsari, just as the tide came in. Reports suggest that he was swept away at that very moment. Technicians subsequently pulled him out of the water. Preliminary reports indicate that his death was caused by drowning. It is reported that he was rushed to a hospital at Digha in East Midnapore district. However, he passed away before reaching the facility.

The matter is being investigated by a Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the Odisha Police.

According to the Chief Minister, since a case of unnatural death had been filed by the family member of the deceased actor, he has instructed the district police superintendent of East Midnapore to send the suggestion to the state Director General of Police for a CID probe in the matter.

There were major rumblings in the Bengal silver-screen world following the unnatural death of the 42-year-old talented actor. His co-artists even observed a strike for some days demanding a thorough and unbiased probe into the case.

Later, although the actors lifted the strike, they decided to boycott the production company concerned, during whose shooting Banerjee met the unfortunate death. The head of the production company, Leena Gangopadhyay, was an extremely close confidant of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and was also the chairperson of the West Bengal Commission for Women. However, she resigned from that chair following the surfacing of controversy over the actor’s death.

According to the Chief Minister, the CID probe is also being initiated to honour the demand of the artists’ fraternity for an independent probe into the matter.

The autopsy report revealed that due to being trapped underwater for a long time, a lot of salt water and sand entered the lungs and oesophagus of Banerjee, resulting in his death from suffocation.

–IANS

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