Producers donate Rs 5 lakhs to suicide victim Raju Sapte's wife

A month ago, it came across quite a shock when it was reported that art director Raju Sapte committed suicide. And now, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association has donated Rs 5 lakh to Sonali Sapte, wife of the deceased. The art director's association had reached out to IMPPA seeking financial help for the widow of Sapte.

President of IMPPA T P Agarwal said, “We received a request from Association of Cine & Television Art Directors and Costume Designers informing us that their member Raju Sapte gave his life and committed suicide on account of unbearable harassment and mental torture. His perpetrators had been harassing many including producers for a number of years, so IMPPA decided to help his wife.”

Agarwal said the suicide has shaken the entire entertainment industry and made them come together and take a stand against hooliganism. IMPPA has also requested other associations and producers to come forward and help Sapte's wife. General secretary Anil Nagrath said, “IMPPA has taken the lead to support the widow of Sapte and all other associations and actors should come forward and help his widow, who has lost her husband due to heavy handedness of the unions.”

On July 3, art director Raju Sapte committed suicide at his Pune residence and in a video recorded moments before by him he said that he was forced to take this drastic step due to harassment by Rakesh Maurya of the Film Studio Setting and Allied Mazdoor Union.