While saving co-star, Bengali actor Rahul Banerjee swept away in tide during shoot, says unit member

DIGHA/KOLKATA: Actor Rahul Arunodoy Banerjee's lungs were filled with seawater and sand, suggesting his death was caused by drowning and not cardiac arrest, police said on Monday, citing a preliminary post-mortem report.

Officers said they are looking at a range of factors to identify what led to the death: absence of rescuers nearby possibly because a drone-shot was underway, how long the actor remained in water before being pulled out and whether the basic safety protocol was followed.

Banerjee (43), a popular face in the Bengali film, OTT and TV industry, died on Sunday evening while shooting for a TV series named ‘Bhole Baba Paar Karega' off the Talsari beach in Odisha, around 8km from Digha. Sources in the shooting crew said the camera was still rolling when Banerjee lost balance and fell in the water, while trying to save his co-actress, before being swept away. He was brought out of the water by crew members and a lifeguard and rushed to Digha State General Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

"Lots of sand and salt water entered his body, causing his lungs to swell to nearly twice the normal size. A significant amount of sand and water was also found in his food pipe. The findings indicate he remained underwater for a long time, and the death was caused by drowning, not cardiac arrest," said a police officer of East Midnapore. Viscera samples will be sent for forensic tests to determine the cause of death.

"We are probing. No complaint has been lodged," said East Midnapore police superintendent Angshuman Saha.

A police officer in Odisha's Balasore district told ANI, "The team neither gave any intimation nor obtained any permission for the shoot. Talsari Police are coordinating with Digha Police for legal action."

The crew had been shooting at Talsari since Friday. Co-actor Bhaskar Banerjee, who had left the beach before the tragedy struck, said it was a "mystery" how a routine honeymoon sequence (featuring Banerjee and Sweta Mishra) in ankle-deep water took a fatal turn. "The scene involved the wife hiding and the husband searching for her, a routine moment in a TV serial. It remains a mystery how it escalated beyond that," he said.

Santanu Nandy, an executive producer of ‘Bhole Baba Paar Karega', said a final drone shot was underway when both Banerjee and Mishra fell. "As they walked in ankle-deep water, the actress slipped. Rahul, too, fell while trying to save her. She was rescued quickly, but it took us some time to rescue Rahul," Nandy said.

Cops said the final moments were captured on camera. "Footage shows Banerjee and Mishra walking hand in hand into the water. Suddenly, the actress falls, followed by Banerjee. Crew members then rush into the water. A man runs in from the right, rescues Mishra and places her on a boat. Banerjee, however, cannot be located immediately," an officer said.

Crew members said neither Banerjee nor Sweta could swim.

Bhagirath Jana, a lifeguard, said: "I was on duty since noon. I warned them against going deeper. The weather was worsening, tide was rising and strong winds were blowing — so they probably couldn't hear me. When they started drowning, I jumped in. I rescued the actress first and helped her get on a boat. Then I brought the actor out on my shoulder. He had swallowed a lot of water. We gave him CPR and tried to drain water from his body before taking him to the hospital."

Banerjee's driver Bablu Das, who was at the spot, said the actor was alive when brought to the shore, but had stopped breathing by the time he could be taken to the hospital. "We saw him in knee-deep water, then suddenly only his head was visible. Technicians immediately jumped into the water. There was a strong current at that spot. He tried to come forward repeatedly, but the water kept pulling him back," Das said.


Talsari resident Badal Gangei, who was also at the spot, said, "Water in those sand pockets can be 6-7 feet deep. The production team was nearly 400 m away, on the shore. It was the drone operator who first spotted them drowning and alerted everyone."

Furthermore, since the remote location at Talsari had no direct road access. Rescuers had to carry an unconscious Rahul a considerable distance on foot before reaching a vehicle. Cops said this delay proved fatal. Although he was first rushed to a local facility in Talsari, he was later shifted to the Digha State General Hospital, where doctors declared dead on arrival.