West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has decided to hand over Rahul Banerjee's death case to CID.
He had instructed the Purba Medinipur district police to initiate the process for transferring the case to the investigative agency.
The Bengali actor died on March 29, 2026, while shooting for a show at a beach.
Bengali actor Rahul Arunoday Banerjee passed away on March 29, 2026, while shooting for his serial Bhole Baba Par Karega at a beach. He died due to accidental drowning at Talsari sea beach, near the Odisha-West Bengal border. His untimely demise triggered severe backlash against the producers of the show for 'negligence'. There were widespread protests and FIRs against the makers.
Rahul's drowning incident was initially registered as an unnatural death case.
CID to investigate Rahul Banerjee's death case
The West Bengal government has now handed over the investigation to the state CID, reported PTI.
This comes after demands from the actor’s family and members of the film industry for a detailed probe into the incident.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said he had requested the Purba Medinipur district police to start the process for transferring the case to the state investigative agency.
Referring to Rahul Arunoday Banerjee's demise, Adhikari told media at Digha in Purba Medinipur district on Sunday (June 14), "Recently, a film star died in Udaipur. The Odisha government constituted an SIT and started an investigation. I have instructed Purba Medinipur SP to immediately send the proposal through the DGP to the home secretary so that the CID can take over this case."
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He also said the actor's family had already filed a case in connection with the incident.
Adhikari also announced safety measures at Digha and adjoining beach destinations.
"At present, there are only 63 lifeguards deployed in the Digha coastal belt. We do not want any repeat of such a tragic incident in the future. The government will take steps to increase the number of lifeguards in Digha and other coastal areas," he said.
Rahul Arunoday Banerjee death reason
Earlier, Sharaban Kumar Moharana, Talsari Marine Police Station's Inspector-in-Charge (IIC), told NDTV that before the shoot, no police permission was taken, nor was the police station informed about it.
Police also confirmed that no safety protocols were followed while shooting.
According to SP Balasore, Rahul was shooting with his co-star, Sweta Mishra, and both fell into the water.
The joint verification by Talsari and Digha Police revealed Rahul and Sweta were dancing in the water at knee level while filming for their show. "Suddenly, both of them fell into a ditch and their team immediately took them to Digha Hospital. However, the male actor could not be saved," read the police statement.
The post-mortem examination report stated that Rahul died of asphyxia as large quantities of seawater and sand had entered his lungs and food passage, causing suffocation, as per the police.
