The Enforcement Directorate searched 15 premises linked to former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen and others in a PMLA investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving MassArt. The agency is examining funds collected through the organisation’s Durga Puja preview shows and allegations that MassArt presented itself as connected to UNESCO without authorisation. ED officials suspect that funds may have been diverted for personal gains. The searches covered locations in Kolkata and Hooghly, including properties associated with Sen and his associates
ED Searches Indranil Sen Premises in Rs 50–60 Crore PMLA Probe
The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at the premises of former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen and others in connection with alleged financial irregularities in massArt.
Searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate linked to former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen are part of a Prevention of Money Laundering Act probe into alleged financial irregularities involving massArt.
ED searches involving Indranil Sen have covered several properties and locations in Kolkata and Hooghly, amid allegations that massArt misrepresented its relationship with UNESCO officials.
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted searches at 15 premises linked to Indranil Sen and others in connection with an alleged money laundering case of around Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore.
The searches are connected to alleged financial irregularities of Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society aka massArt, which organised Durga Puja preview shows in Kolkata, officials said.
The agency said massArt is run by Sen’s wife Madhuchhanda Sen and is accused of collecting large sums of public money on the pretext of supporting a UNESCO-sponsored organisation.
The ED has suspected that the money collected through the organisation was later diverted for personal gains, and the allegations are being probed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Indranil Sen ED Searches Span Kolkata And Hooghly
ED teams raided Indranil Sen’s house in Kasba, and other teams simultaneously searched properties in Hindustan Park and Highland Park, officials who are privy to the operation said.
Sources said investigators also raided a residential building in Highland Park owned by an event-management businessman and a resort-cum-bungalow in Singur in Hooghly district associated with Sen.
The searches were part of a complaint filed in June at the Bowbazar police station against Madhuchhanda Sen and massArt, adding a police complaint to the agency’s financial probe.
It is believed that the organisation was formed around six months after UNESCO’s recognition of Kolkata’s Durga Puja in 2021, when Mamata Banerjee returned as West Bengal chief minister.
MassArt allegedly presented itself as an official partner of UNESCO and used the international organization’s name and logo without UNESCO officials’ approval.
According to sources, MassArt sold preview show tickets for about 24 big-budget Durga Pujas, with the price ranging between Rs 1,800 and Rs 5,500 each year.
Early numbers cited by investigators show about 19,000 people signed up for preview passes in 2022, a figure that grew to about 34,000 in 2023 and then 61,000 in 2024.
The number of registrations is now part of the financial trail being examined, although the numbers are registrations and do not, in themselves, establish wrongdoing or prove the alleged diversion.
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Complaint And Earlier Responses Add Context
Earlier reports said Indranil Sen was the previous West Bengal government’s former minister of state for tourism, information and cultural affairs.
A complaint was lodged against Madhuchhanda Sen and MassArt officials Dhrubajyoti Bose, Sayantan Maitra and Rajan Chatterjee earlier for misappropriation of UNESCO branding and irregular sale of tickets.
Indranil Sen has earlier dismissed the charges of departmental involvement as baseless. MassArt secretary Dhrubajyoti Bose said there were documents regarding UNESCO’s involvement and financial assistance.
MassArt or Indranil Sen did not immediately respond to the latest ED searches, the report said, available when the searches were underway.
The investigation will now focus on documents, financial records, ownership links and transactions seized during searches, and further action will depend on the evidence collected by the agency.
The ED raids are an investigative measure and not a verdict of guilt for those who are following the case. Charges, if any, against the individuals are subject to court proceedings.
Sprouts News will monitor the updates, including any ED statements, reactions from Indranil Sen and massArt, court proceedings, and clarification regarding UNESCO’s alleged association with the organisation.
