A 65-year-old security guard slipped from a scaffolding and fell to his death while pasting a film poster at a movie theatre in Bengaluru, the police said on Sunday. "Chandrappa slipped from a height while fixing a film poster at the Triveni theatre building in the city centre. He was rushed to the nearby state-run Victoria Hospital but doctors declared him dead on admission," Upparpet police station sub-inspector Shivaswamy said.
The incident took place at 8.15 on Sunday morning, the Times of India reported. Chandrappa was standing on the scaffolding when he slipped. "According to Chandrappa's colleague, the incident took place when the victim took down the poster of a previous film and was fixing the flex board of the new film that was released on Friday," Shivaswamy added.
The police said that it was not the security guard's job to change the poster and an investigation is underway probing the role of the owner and manager of the theatre. The Upparpet police filed a case of negligence against the owner and manager of the theatre building under section 304A (causing death by rash, negligent act) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the preliminary investigations, the theatre manager allegedly offered Rs 600 to the security guard to replace the poster at the theatre, The Hindu reported.
Movie theatres across the city reopened on October 15 after remaining shut for over seven months since March due to COVID-19-induced lockdown and restrictions, but are operating with only 50% capacity.
Among the southern Indian states, Karnataka was among the first to take the plunge and open theatres in October. New Kannada films like Act 1978 and Arishadvarga have been released by the Kannada film industry while films like Christopher Nolan's Tenet are also playing in theatres currently.