Kannada filmmaker Yogaraj Bhat arrested after crew member dies on film set

Bengaluru: A case has been filed against Kannada filmmaker Yogaraj Bhat and three others after a crew member allegedly fell from a nine-metre ladder during the shooting of a film and subsequently died, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on September 3 during the shooting of the Kannada film titled Manada Kadalu near Adakamaranahalli in Dasanapura in Madanayakanahalli, police station limits.

According to police, 24-year-old light boy Mohan Kumar fell from a ladder during filming and sustained serious injuries. He was admitted to a hospital where he died.

“Based on a complaint received from the victim's brother, a case has been registered against Bhat and three others, including the assistant director and the producer,” a senior police official said.

“We have served notice on the persons named in the FIR and further investigation is underway,” he said.

Meanwhile, Film Industry for Rights & Equality (FIRE), an organization founded in 2017 with the aim of providing a platform for justice to neglected and disadvantaged groups in the film industry, including workers, has expressed its condolences to the victim Kumar and his family.

“Every death in the film industry is a loss for all of us. Going forward, FIRE intends to work with all the Okkutas and all the trade unions, all the bodies of the Kannada film industry and the Labour Department of our state government to provide basic benefits to our workers,” the organisation said in a press release.