Ex-TMC minister’s brother Swarup Biswas held after make-up artist accuses him of demanding sex for job

3 min readKolkataJun 5, 2026 11:30 AM IST

Swarup Biswas held the influential post of president of the Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) until December 2025.

TMC leader Swarup Biswas, a prominent face in Kolkata’s cultural and entertainment sectors and brother of former minister Aroop Biswas, was arrested from Sahapur Colony on Thursday night for alleged sexual harassment and extortion. The arrest followed a complaint lodged by a victim, a make-up artist.

According to the victim, who was jobless for the past two years, she came to Suruchi Sangha at New Alipore on August 20, 2025, to meet Swarup Biswas, who was heading a body of make-up artists, and his associates seeking a job. But Biswas demanded money in return.

According to the complaint, the victim approached  Biswas again on April 4 this year, and this time, they told her that if she wanted a job, she had to sexually compromise with them. “When she refused their proposal, Biswas and his associates allegedly tried to kill her at her residence on April 10,” said a police officer.

The make-up artist alleged that Biswas — a highly influential figure in Tollywood, the Bengali film industry, and regional politics — has collected a huge amount of money by threatening her and her colleagues in the name of welfare and work.

The police have booked Biswas under Section 75(1) for sexual harassment, Section 308(4) for extortion, and Section 308(5) for extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Arms Act.

She stated that Biswas collected more than Rs 22 lakh from several people in the name of giving jobs, and in one such incident, he collected Rs 45,000 from one of her colleagues last December.

Swarup Biswas serves as a leader of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC). For an extended period, he held the influential post of president of the Federation of Cine Technicians & Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) until December 2025. He is also actively associated with the local sports and cultural scene as an official of the Suruchi Sangha club, a famous Durga Puja organiser.

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Biswas’s name has frequently surfaced in the news over allegations of high-handedness and running a coercive system across regional film studios.

A few months ago, Biswas faced intense heat from prominent film technicians, directors, and actors who publicly spoke out against a toxic “ban culture” within the industry. Professionals in the Tollywood industry had alleged that the FCTWEI leadership under Biswas denied opportunities, boycotted, or blacklisted them if they were not deemed “close enough” to the ruling TMC leadership or if they refused to comply with specific demands.

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