The Enforcement Directorate has said that former Bengal minister Indranil Sen and his proprietorship concern received more than Rs 3.8 crore in connection with its probe into alleged financial irregularities surrounding Durga Puja preview shows, with nearly Rs 30 lakh later transferred to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The agency disclosed the details on Thursday, a day after Sen appeared before investigators and was questioned for several hours. Sen has maintained that the transfers to Banerjee were royalty payments. The ED’s statement did not establish that the transfers were illegal, and its investigation remains ongoing.
According to the agency, multiple tenders worth more than Rs 85 crore were awarded during Sen’s tenure as tourism minister under the Mamata Banerjee government to entities owned by Dhrubajyoti Bose and Dipesh Roy. The ED said both individuals were known associates of Sen and that their entities subsequently transferred large sums to entities controlled by Sen’s relatives.
“Furthermore, massive cash withdrawals have been observed from the bank accounts of the entities that secured these tenders,” the agency said. The ED added that digital devices and documentary evidence were seized during search operations and that the investigation was continuing.
The searches took place on Thursday at 15 premises in Kolkata. The locations included the MassArt Society, its office bearers and associates, including Sen. The action forms part of a case concerning commercial “Preview Shows” organised by MassArt between 2022 and 2024.
According to the FIR lodged with Bowbazar police station and the ED’s investigation, the events involved 24 selected Durga Puja pandals. Passes were allegedly sold to the public for between Rs 1,749 and Rs 5,499 while promotional material claimed that the pandals had been selected by UNESCO and would be visited by its representatives.
The agency has alleged that UNESCO’s name, logo and goodwill were used without authorisation. The case therefore extends beyond the financial transactions to questions about how large public-facing cultural events use institutional branding, raise money through ticketing and account for benefits promised to artisans and puja committees.
The reported FIR followed a written complaint by Jaydeep Mukherjee naming Sen, Madhuchhanda Sen, the president of MassArt, Bose, Sayantan Maitra, Ranjan Chatterjee and other unidentified individuals. The complaint and the agency’s allegations are subject to investigation and possible proceedings before the relevant authorities.
The ED also referred to donor passes sold in 2025 that continued to invoke the UNESCO association and promised benefits to artisans and puja committees. The agency said corresponding financial records had not been made public. No finding of guilt has been reported against the individuals named in the case.
The next steps will depend on the agency’s continuing examination of the seized devices, documents, tender records, bank transactions and the statements of the people questioned in the case.
