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This is an archive article published on January 20, 2024
Ramoji Film City booked after CEO of US-based firm dies during stunt
The Telangana Police have asked Ramoji Film City to stop all stunts involving cranes and cages.
Vestex Asia CEO Sanjay Shah died in a mishap at the Ramoji Film City. (Photo: Vistex.com)
The founder-CEO of a US-based tech company died and another official suffered severe injuries in a freak accident during the firm’s silver jubilee celebrations at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.
The incident happened on Thursday evening when Sanjay Shah (56), the founder and CEO of Illinois-based firm Vistex, and Raju Datla, the president of the company, were being descended in an iron cage onto the stage from a height of about 20 feet and one of the wires supporting the structure snapped, leading to their fall, the police said.
The stunt was planned as the opening of the event and more than 680 people, including the family members of Shah and Datla, were in the audience at the time.
An FIR under Sections 304 A (causing death by a rash or negligent act) 336 (endangering human life or personal safety of others) 287 (negligent conduct concerning machinery) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at Abdullapurmet police station and an investigation is underway. The management of Ramoji Film City, the event management company, and others responsible for the safe conduct of the event have been booked.
In a short video clip of the accident, the two executives can be seen waving at the audience as they are being lowered onto the stage. Suddenly the iron structure gives way and the two men fall on the stage. They were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital and then to a corporate hospital. Shah succumbed to his injuries at the hospital at 12.10 am Friday; Datla is undergoing treatment for grievous injuries and remains critical, said doctors.
Speaking to The Indian Express, sub-inspector D Karnakar Reddy said the police were informed of the incident by one of the staff members at 8.40 pm, almost an hour after the accident. He said as part of the investigation negligence has to be proved; the police have written to experts concerning the machinery used and are awaiting a response. “It is a stunt usually seen during dance performances on stage. The 6mm iron cable used here (to support the cage) snapped. We feel it was substandard and safety precautions were not in place but we will wait for a report from experts. We have booked the management of Ramoji Film City and others involved in the event. No arrests have been made so far and the investigation is on,” he said.
Shah and Datla, both US citizens, had come for a two-day event to celebrate the company’s 25 years with employees of the Hyderabad branch. “It was just the beginning of the event. The father, mother, wife and brothers of the deceased were present in the audience. Around 680 people from the Hyderabad branch were in the audience,” the SI said.
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Shah had set up Vistex as an Enterprise resource planning solutions firm in 1999 and moved to the US about 20 years ago. Today, the company has 20 global offices and over 2,000 employees. Shah also founded Vistex Foundation and Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research at Lehigh University. Datla had been with Vistex since 2000.
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