On 28 May, Divyanshu Joshi, a Delhi-based model, drowned in an abandoned quarry that had turned into a deep lake in Kerala’s Mudakuzha village.
According to Sarin A.S., station house officer (SHO) of Kodanad Police Station in Ernakulam district, where the case has been registered, the 26-year-old had travelled to Kerala for an advertisement shoot for a Delhi-based textile firm. The FIR names the complainant as Rajeev Neelakantan of Kochi-based Rubberband Productions, which had been hired by the Delhi firm for the assignment.
As news of the incident emerged in Kerala’s local media, it became clear that mandatory permission to enter the quarry had not been obtained from the panchayat. Sarin confirmed the same to Mint. The quarry was known to be dangerous and had been gated and off-limits to the public for several years. Neelakantan later told Mint Lounge that the team didn't have permission to enter the quarry.
Three days after the accident, Delhi-based design house Kartik Research shared a post on its Instagram account, along with a photograph of Joshi, stating: “We are heartbroken by the loss of our dear colleague and friend, Divyanshu Joshi, who passed away on 28 May 2026. For the past two years, Divyanshu led our Delhi store with warmth, dedication, and generosity. He was deeply loved by his team and will be profoundly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside him. As inaccurate accounts of this tragedy continue to circulate, we wish to clarify that Divyanshu was in Kerala as part of a seasonal photo shoot and was not participating in any swimming related activity as part of the production. Some public reports have mischaracterised the circumstances of the incident. We are sharing this clarification so that the focus remains on honouring his life and memory. We will not be making any further public comment and ask that the privacy of those close to him be respected at this difficult time. May he rest in peace.”
Earlier this year, Joshi had walked the ramp for the brand at Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai.
Founded five years ago by 25-year-old Kartik Kumra, the label has stores in Delhi and New York, and has become a regular at Paris Fashion Week. The brand is scheduled to stage another runway show during the upcoming fashion week in Paris later this month. It has also twice been shortlisted as an LVMH Prize semi-finalist and recently won the “Guest Country” award for India at the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards.
In a statement shared with Mint Lounge, Kartik Research said: “Kartik (Kumra, the founder) entered the water to search for Divyanshu but was unable to locate him. The team simultaneously contacted the production team and emergency services. Police arrived promptly, followed shortly by the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services.”
Sarin, the SHO of Kodanad Police Station, told Mint Lounge, “Nobody jumped in the lake after Joshi.”
The investigation is currently underway, the Kodanad police station informed Mint Lounge.
Meanwhile, the incident exposes a long-ignored reality within India’s fashion industry: insurance, financial security and worker protection remain almost non-existent.
Mint Lounge spoke to several models to understand whether they receive any form of insurance coverage or whether brands enforce safety protocols during campaign shoots and runway presentations outside the formal fashion week circuit. The answer, from all, was an overwhelming no. Most were reluctant to be identified for fear of losing future work opportunities.
Several models and industry professionals also pointed to the absence of basic emergency preparedness on sets and outdoor shoots. In many cases, there are no clearly defined contingency plans outlining how teams should respond if an accident or medical emergency occurs. Safety briefings, first-aid infrastructure and rescue support are rare, while post-incident responses tend to lack empathy, coordination and practical clarity. Few productions, they say, truly plan for a worst-case scenario.
Delhi-based Pooja Katyal, who has worked as a runway and campaign model for fashion brands over the past eight years, says models are often the “least protected” people on set. “There are brands that do follow safety measures during shoots,” she says. “But it is far from being an industry norm.”
Ujjwal Dhir, who quit modelling earlier this year after working in the industry since 2022 owing to the flawed systems of the industry, echoed Katyal’s concerns. Having worked with Joshi on several assignments, he remembers him as compassionate and hardworking and someone who was deeply invested in building a career in modelling.
“Insurance is generally not a standard practice across most assignments in the industry, especially for freelance models,” says Dhir, 26, who heads marketing for Uma, a beachside restaurant in Goa. “Most collaborations and projects are limited to agreed professional fees and deliverables, without any additional provisions such as health, accident or life insurance coverage.”
The lack of protection extends beyond insurance. “In many cases, teams struggle to provide even basic comforts such as decent accommodation, meals and working conditions,” he says. “Most models, especially newcomers and aspiring talent, are primarily focused on securing opportunities and building their careers. When a project comes along, the first things that usually come to mind are the work itself, the exposure and the payment. Discussions around insurance, health welfare or similar benefits rarely happen, and many people don’t even think to ask about them.”
The deeper issue lies in the industry’s approach to safety infrastructure itself. “The bigger problem is that almost everything connected to a project is treated as more important than a person’s life,” says Delhi-based model Kritika Goyal, 25, who has been in the industry since 2022. “Even basic precautions such as keeping a first-aid kit on site, arranging an ambulance, a lifeguard or any emergency rescue service are rarely prioritised. The focus is always on executing the project, while safety becomes an afterthought.”
The competition is so intense that models are often willing to go to great lengths just to secure work. “The fear of being replaced is so pervasive that many even work for free in the early stages of their careers,” says Katyal. “I have been asked to travel to another city at my own expense, and I have said no, but many do agree.”
Most models see it as an independent profession where they are responsible for arranging their own health or accident coverage, if they choose to have it, adds Dhir. “Models are often expected to work in all kinds of environments—whether that’s shooting in the extreme weather conditions of Ladakh, in deserts and remote locations across Rajasthan, on rocky shores and beaches. That said, unfortunate incidents like this (the Kerala case) do raise important questions about whether the industry should start paying more attention to safety standards, welfare measures and some form of protection for talent working on assignments.”
Sunil Sethi, chairperson of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), says the organisation’s fashion weeks/events are insured, including coverage for participating talent such as models. Sethi was unaware of Joshi’s drowning when Mint Lounge reached out to him.
Kochi-based Ramesh Menon, the founder of non-profit Save The Loom, which works with khadi and handloom weavers in Kerala and Bengal to produce hand-spun, handwoven textiles, says he has witnessed a rise in Indian fashion brands using Kerala’s backwaters as a visual backdrop over the past three years, often without following proper procedures or safety guidelines.
“Especially when you are shooting out of station, you need to set up a local line production team that helps acquire the necessary licences and permissions, and makes you aware of local rules,” says Menon, who has previously worked with international brands such as Spain’s Puig on campaigns in Kochi that involved strict adherence to legal protocols. “Like in the Joshi case, you need permission from the panchayat to enter that quarry, but nobody took it. How can a team enter an area that has been cordoned off without permission?”
The larger problem lies in the absence of accountability and safety. “There are no strict guidelines around responsibility in the event of an accident—who pays, who is accountable,” Menon says. “In India, people often dismiss these things as minor issues until something serious happens, unlike the systems many international brands follow. There is still a very strong culture of jugaad among Indian brands and the industry at large.”
Most Indian fashion brands still do not offer insurance coverage to models working on campaigns or shoots. Designer Rahul Mishra says the conversation around safety and insurance is beginning within parts of the industry. “While dedicated accident insurance for campaign shoots has not traditionally formed part of our production framework in India, we recognise that the industry is evolving, and so must we,” says Mishra.
He says insurance for his fashion shows is generally built into event and production frameworks, both in India and internationally, and is often treated as a standard part of the process. Mishra adds that his team members travelling internationally on behalf of the brand are covered through comprehensive travel and medical insurance policies. “We are working towards incorporating accident insurance, either through existing arrangements or, where needed, facilitated by us, as a standard part of our outdoor shoots and production activities going forward,” he says.
What may ultimately prove to be the most meaningful safeguard for models is the formation of a strong organisation to push for basic labour protections, fair contracts, insurance coverage, safer working conditions and greater accountability across the fashion industry. But that remains a difficult proposition in an industry shaped deeply informal power structures, intense competition and insecurity. Every year, grooming schools and modelling agencies introduce hundreds of aspiring faces into an already oversaturated market where runway visibility is increasingly dominated by Bollywood actors, influencers and “real people” campaigns.
“The bigger challenge is participation and representation,” says Dhir. “A large number of models remain silent even when they encounter serious issues because they do not want to risk relationships with agencies, designers, brands or casting professionals who may offer future work opportunities. Staying in everyone’s good books is often seen as necessary for survival in the industry.”
And this silence extends far beyond newcomers. “Even many established and senior models avoid taking public positions on industry issues,” he says. “Only a relatively small section of people are willing to openly raise concerns or advocate for change.”
This is an industry claiming that it is poised to go global but still lack the most fundamental protections for the people whose bodies and labour sustain it. Until the industry decides to address these concerns, a model’s life in India will continue to be undervalued.