UNESCO has told Kolkata Police that it communicated with West Bengal’s Information and Cultural Affairs Department about Durga Puja but did not sign any contract with the state government, a cultural organisation or any other entity to use its name and logo for commercial access to pandals.
The clarification was sought by the Detective Department during its investigation into allegations that UNESCO’s name was used to secure access to 24 Durga Puja pandals. Kolkata Police said the international organisation had not entered into an agreement with Mass Art, a cultural association owned by Indranil Sen, or with any government department for that purpose.
“Though UNESCO confirmed that there had been official communication with the Information and Cultural Affairs Department of West Bengal, the international organisation had not entered into any contract with anyone to use its name and logo,” a senior Kolkata Police officer was quoted as saying.
The investigation followed a complaint by Joydeep Mukhopadhyay, head of a travel agency, at Bowbazar police station. According to the police account cited in the report, tickets were allegedly sold for entry to the pandals at prices ranging from Rs 1,800 to Rs 12,000. The case was later transferred to the Detective Department.
Sen, who was then Minister of State for Information and Culture with independent charge, has been accused of using his position to obtain financial benefits from the arrangement. The allegations have not been established in court. Lawyers representing the complainant have said that Sen played a direct role in the tendering process.
The case has also widened to include alleged financial irregularities in contracts for several state-linked events, including the Red Road Carnival, Kolkata Book Fair, the Bangla Moder Garbo initiative and the Kolkata International Film Festival. Investigators are examining allegations that three agencies—Third Line Creations, GD Creations and Rupakar—were repeatedly favoured for projects in different districts.
According to figures cited in the report, Third Line Creations received contracts worth Rs 36.09 crore, GD Creations received Rs 24.51 crore and Rupakar received Rs 8.23 crore. Investigators are also examining allegations that payments were routed through third parties into the agencies’ bank accounts and that Sen had close associations with them.
Sen appeared at the Enforcement Directorate office at the CGO Complex to respond to investigators’ questions and was subsequently taken into custody by the Special Cell of the Kolkata Police Detective Department at around 5 pm, according to the report. He was produced before the Bankshall Court on Thursday and remanded to police custody until November 10.
Police have booked him under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 316, 336(2), 336(3), 338, 318, 61(2) and 340(2). The provisions cited in the report relate to allegations including criminal breach of trust, forgery, cheating, criminal conspiracy and the use of forged documents.
Investigating agencies have also alleged that Rs 3.8 crore in cash was deposited into the bank account of Sen’s publishing firm, October Record, and that Rs 30 lakh was paid to a person identified as Bandyopadhyay. The report said these transactions have been incorporated into the case and are under examination. A political allegation naming a former chief minister as a beneficiary was also made at a press conference, but the supplied report does not establish that claim independently.
The immediate next step is the continuation of police questioning and the investigation into the alleged use of UNESCO’s name, the pandal-access arrangements and the contracts awarded for the cultural events.
