KWAN Entertainment founder Anirban Das Blah has been accused in multiple sexual harassment cases. (Source: Facebook/Anirban Blah)
KWAN Entertainment founder Anirban Das Blah, who had been accused of sexual harassment, allegedly tried to commit suicide by jumping off the old Vashi bridge on Thursday night.
Police said his family members had suspected something was amiss and they called up the police. A police team patrolling the Navi Mumbai bridge, from where several people have leapt to their death in the past, found and caught him.
Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti said: “A media person informed me about Blah’s intention to commit suicide that he had mentioned in a message sent to the journalist. Following this, I informed the Navi Mumbai Police since he had mentioned in the note that he was going to Vashi.”
Navi Mumbai Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar said: “A senior officer from Mumbai Police alerted us. Following that, we alerted our local police.”
An officer from Vashi police station said in the note that Blah had forwarded on WhatsApp, he had mentioned that he was going to commit suicide and his body would be found near Vashi creek.
“Around 12.30 am, Blah reached Vashi bridge in a private taxi and asked the driver to drop him there. The driver had alerted the traffic police constables who were on patrol duty at the bridge,” said a senior officer from Navi Mumbai Police.
Senior Inspector, Vashi police station, Anil Deshmukh, said: “He (Blah) was visibly distressed and said that he was there to commit suicide. After he gave us his name, we called up some of his family members and friends who took him home. No suicide note was found. He was not injured and was spotted by the traffic police standing near the edge of the bridge.”
Blah is married with three children. “In his statement, he said that he was distressed after allegations of sexual harassment against him. He said both he and his family had been going through a tough time ever since the allegations surfaced on social media. We counselled him and then handed him over to his family,” Deshmukh said. A senior officer said they will not register any case. A police diary entry has been made at Vashi police station.
Blah had been asked to step down from his position at KWAN on October 16 following sexual misconduct allegations against him. Four women had alleged that Blah had sought sexual favours from aspiring actors and had eventually been sacked by the company.
In a subsequent statement the KWAN Talent Management Agency Pvt Ltd had stated that Blah has resigned from all his responsibilities and designations (including as a member of the board of directors) at KWAN and its subsidiaries. The statement also said the other 10 partners at KWAN had decided to take over the entire stake of Blah in KWAN “to ensure his exit”.
The talent and celebrity management company that handles prominent clients, including several Bollywood A-listers, had extended its support to the #MeToo campaign.
KWAN assured a safe workspace after multiple clients and employees spoke about Blah’s misconduct and harassment on social media.