Actor and Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) president Poonam Dhillon has alleged that the association's staff and elected members were stopped from entering its office amid an escalating dispute with the Cine Artistes Welfare Trust (CAWT) over the ownership of CINTAA Tower. Dhillon made the claims in an interview with ANI on Monday.
The ownership dispute
According to Dhillon, the association was recently informed through an email that CAWT was the actual owner of the building, despite CINTAA members having contributed towards its construction. She alleged that several security personnel were deployed outside the office to prevent CINTAA members and staff from entering the premises.
"Today was a strange day. A few days ago, we received an email saying that CAWT is the actual owner of this building. Although CINTAA members built this building and CAWT itself was built by CINTAA members, they wanted to control it so much that they said CINTAA staff cannot enter, we, the elected members of the EC, cannot enter, and no one can come up," Dhillon told ANI.
She further alleged that CINTAA had provided Rs 6 crore towards the construction of the tower when CAWT was facing a shortage of funds, with an understanding that there would be a common office for both organisations along with welfare activities for CINTAA members. "Who is CAWT to throw our staff out of their jobs? They are not your employees; they are employees of CINTAA. How can you stop them?" she said.
A troubled election season
CINTAA members Deepak Qazir Kejriwal and Abhay Bhargav also spoke about the dispute. Kejriwal claimed members were first told through a notice that they could not come to CINTAA Tower, adding that "no court has passed whether someone can come or not."
The latest dispute comes amid broader turmoil in the association. Eleven members had resigned from the executive committee last month over concerns about key decisions being taken without enough consultation. The CINTAA elections were held on September 12 after a court allowed the polls to proceed on September 9, subject to the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings. The agency report carried no response from CAWT to Dhillon's allegations.
Sources: Lokmat Times (ANI) — Poonam Dhillon alleges CINTAA members, staff denied entry to office amid ongoing dispute
The ownership dispute
According to Dhillon, the association was recently informed through an email that CAWT was the actual owner of the building, despite CINTAA members having contributed towards its construction. She alleged that several security personnel were deployed outside the office to prevent CINTAA members and staff from entering the premises.
"Today was a strange day. A few days ago, we received an email saying that CAWT is the actual owner of this building. Although CINTAA members built this building and CAWT itself was built by CINTAA members, they wanted to control it so much that they said CINTAA staff cannot enter, we, the elected members of the EC, cannot enter, and no one can come up," Dhillon told ANI.
She further alleged that CINTAA had provided Rs 6 crore towards the construction of the tower when CAWT was facing a shortage of funds, with an understanding that there would be a common office for both organisations along with welfare activities for CINTAA members. "Who is CAWT to throw our staff out of their jobs? They are not your employees; they are employees of CINTAA. How can you stop them?" she said.
A troubled election season
CINTAA members Deepak Qazir Kejriwal and Abhay Bhargav also spoke about the dispute. Kejriwal claimed members were first told through a notice that they could not come to CINTAA Tower, adding that "no court has passed whether someone can come or not."
The latest dispute comes amid broader turmoil in the association. Eleven members had resigned from the executive committee last month over concerns about key decisions being taken without enough consultation. The CINTAA elections were held on September 12 after a court allowed the polls to proceed on September 9, subject to the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings. The agency report carried no response from CAWT to Dhillon's allegations.
Sources: Lokmat Times (ANI) — Poonam Dhillon alleges CINTAA members, staff denied entry to office amid ongoing dispute