Hairdresser from Bengali film industry sets herself on fire, accuses 11 guild members of harassment in note

Kolkata police have registered a case against 11 members of the hairstylist body of the Bengali film industry after a woman member attempted to end her life on Saturday by allegedly setting herself on fire after being deprived of work. The woman hairstylist was saved by her daughter, but she sustained serious burn injuries, Jagran reported.

The police said the victim, identified as Tanushree Das, was admitted to a local hospital and is recovering.

The report said the woman hairdresser advocated for an election rather than nomination within the guild, which resulted in her suspension for three months in May.

In an alleged suicide note, the victim narrated the ongoing harassment and the loss of work opportunities due to pressure from the guild.

"I was suspended for three months from May 1 but even then, I was not allowed to work properly. I could not fulfil my family responsibilities properly, so I am forced to commit suicide. Committee members of my guild are responsible for this," the Free Press Journal reported.

“I was denied one job after another,” the hairdresser wrote. “I was set to work for Moinak Bhowmik’s upcoming film but the production manager informed me that the guild had instructed them not to give me the assignment,” she added.

The woman hairdresser’s suicide bid has sparked outrage in Tollywood and calls for action against the alleged harassment and intimidation she faced from the hairdressers’ guild.

The Tollywood film fraternity has expressed their support and solidarity for the victim. Even some Prominent figures from the Bengali film industry, including actors Sudipta Chakraborty and Chaiti Ghoshal rushed to the hospital to see the victim.

Reacting to incident, veteran actor and BJP leader Rupa Ganguly said, “A hairdresser was suspended for three months because she made some mistake. Now, even after three months, she was not allowed to work. She struggled for that period and then she was informed at the last minute that she would not be allowed to work. It is wrong.”

“I cannot accept this injustice," Indian Express quoted actor Sudipta Chakraborty expressed her anger and frustration over the incident on a social media platform

“I will see the end of it,” she added.