CINTAA Office Row: Poonam Dhillon Says Staff, Members Barred From Tower
Poonam Dhillon says CINTAA staff and elected members were stopped from entering the association's office amid a dispute with the Cine Artistes Welfare Trust.
A dispute over control of the Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) office in Mumbai escalated on Monday, with association president Poonam Dhillon alleging that its staff and elected members were prevented from entering the premises.
Speaking about the standoff with the Cine Artistes Welfare Trust (CAWT), Dhillon said CINTAA had recently been told by email that CAWT was the actual owner of the building, known as CINTAA Tower, even though association members had contributed to its construction. She said security personnel were posted outside the office to keep CINTAA members and staff out.
"Today was a strange day," Dhillon said, describing the email as a claim that CINTAA staff, the elected members of its executive committee and others could not enter the building. She said the association was shocked by the move.
According to Dhillon, CINTAA had given Rs 6 crore towards the tower's construction when CAWT was short of funds. The understanding at the time, she said, included a common office for both organisations, with office staff based there, and welfare activities for CINTAA members. She added that other conditions were also agreed upon.
Dhillon said the situation was gradually being resolved but questioned whether the association's staff could face similar restrictions again, asking how CAWT could bar CINTAA employees from their jobs when they are not its own staff.
CINTAA members Deepak Qazir Kejriwal and Abhay Bhargav also raised concerns about the dispute. Kejriwal said members had received a notice stating that they could not come to CINTAA Tower, which was later changed to bar staff, and noted that no court had ruled on who may enter the premises.
Visuals from the office showed members and staff gathering amid heated arguments, with Dhillon seen interacting with those present.
The confrontation follows internal tensions within CINTAA over the functioning of its executive committee. Eleven members resigned last month, flagging concerns that key decisions were being taken without adequate consultation. Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure rejected those allegations. The election process was subsequently challenged in court, and on September 9 the court allowed the polls to proceed, subject to the outcome of the legal proceedings. The CINTAA elections were held on September 12.