Former TMC Minister Indranil Sen Arrested After ED Questioning In Durga Puja Ticket Row

Former West Bengal Information and Culture Minister Indranil Sen has been arrested by the Kolkata Police following his questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the CGO Complex on Wednesday. Sen was arrested by the Intelligence Department of the Kolkata Police on allegations of non-cooperation in the investigation.

Police personnel took him into custody as he came out of the CGO Complex after being questioned by the ED and were taking him to Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters. The case involves allegations of financial irregularities linked to the sale of Durga Puja tickets in 2023 and 2024, as well as financial transactions involving companies allegedly connected to Sen and his associates.

The Kolkata Police's Intelligence Department arrested Sen over allegations linked to an organisation called 'Mas Art', which he is accused of having established. According to the allegations, the organisation sold tickets for visits to prominent Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata in 2023 and 2024, using the name of UNESCO.

The organisation allegedly selected 24 pujas from among Kolkata's major Durga Puja celebrations and sold tickets to people seeking access to the pandals ahead of the general public. The tickets reportedly cost between Rs 1,800 and Rs 4,500, while some were priced at Rs 12,000.

According to the allegations, ticket holders were allowed to enter the pandals during the four days before the Puja, when other members of the public were not permitted to enter. The allegations centre on the purported use of UNESCO's name to facilitate the ticket sales.

The Enforcement Directorate is investigating a reported Rs 30 lakh transaction involving an account linked to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In a press statement, the ED alleged that Rs 3.8 crore had been deposited into Octave Records, a company owned by Sen, and that Rs 30 lakh was subsequently transferred from the company's account to Banerjee's account.

According to the ED, Sen told investigators that the money had been transferred to Banerjee's account as royalty. Investigators reportedly want to establish the nature of the royalty payment and the reason for the transfer from Octave Records' account to Banerjee's account.

The allegations concerning the transaction form part of the wider investigation into the financial dealings of companies associated with Sen. The ED has also alleged that, while serving as a minister, Sen awarded tenders worth more than Rs 85 crore to companies belonging to two of his close associates, Dhravajyoti Basu and Dipesh Roy.

According to the agency's press statement, investigators subsequently found that money had been transferred from companies belonging to the two associates to a company controlled by Sen's relatives. The ED further alleged that money was withdrawn from the company controlled by Sen's relatives.

These transactions are among the financial dealings being examined by the agency as part of its investigation. The corruption allegations came to light on June 8, when Joydeep Mukherjee filed a complaint at Kolkata's Bowbazar police station.