Rahman calls for 'world-class safety standards on Indian sets' after son Ameen escapes accident
Chennai (PTI): After his son-singer AR Ameen escaped a major accident on a set location in Mumbai last week, music composer AR Rahman has appealed for better safety standards across Indian productions.
The Oscar winner said the investigation is underway into the incident by the insurance company and production house.
On Sunday, 20-year-old Ameen said in an Instagram post that he and his team were shooting for a song when the "whole truss and chandeliers" that were suspended from a crane came crashing down while the singer was in the middle of the spot.
In a statement, Rahman said it was a miracle that no one was injured.
"A few days back my son AR Ameen and his styling team escaped a potentially fatal disaster. Miraculously Alhamdulillah (by the Grace of God) there were no injuries after the accident at Film City, Mumbai. As we grow our industry, we need to have a movement towards world-class safety standards on Indian sets and locations," the music director said.
"We are all quite shaken and are awaiting the results of the investigation into the incident by the insurance company as well as the production company Goodfellas Studios," the 56-year-old added in the statement.
Ameen had shared pictures from the damaged set and detailed the horrific incident in his post.
The singer further wrote he is safe now, but he and his team are "shell-shocked".
"I am thankful to the Almighty, my parents, family, well-wishers, and my spiritual teacher that I am safe and alive today. Just three nights ago, I was shooting for a song and I trusted the team to have taken care of the engineering and safety, while I was focusing on performing in front of the camera.
"The whole truss and chandeliers that were suspended from a crane came crashing down while I was right in the middle of the spot. If it were a few inches here and there, a few seconds earlier or later, the whole rig would have fallen on our heads. My team and I are shell-shocked and unable to recover from the trauma," he had said.
Ameen made his singing debut with the Tamil film "O Kadhal Kanmani", whose music was composed by his father. He has since sung in several Indian languages.
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
