A lower court in Kolkata on Thursday, 29 October 2026, remanded former West Bengal Tourism Minister and former Minister of State for Information & Cultural Affairs, Indranil Sen, to 13 days of police custody in connection with an alleged fake Durga Puja pass scam linked to UNESCO-tagged festival tours. Sen, a singer-turned-politician, was arrested by Kolkata Police the previous day and produced before the court on Thursday.

What the Prosecution Told the Court

Public Prosecutor Abhijit Chattopadhyay informed the court that in 2025, an entity named Mass Art Society — reportedly owned by Sen's wife Madhuchhanda Sen — had signed an agreement with UNESCO. Despite restrictions on commercial use of the UNESCO logo, the organisation allegedly marketed and sold Durga Puja tour packages using the UNESCO tag between 2022 and 2025.

The prosecution further alleged that money was transferred to Indranil Sen's personal account on the same day that funds were collected and deposited into the Mass Art Society account. According to the prosecutor, statements from three witnesses on record indicate that Sen was directly involved in the alleged irregularities.

Sen's Defence and the Court's Order

Sen's counsel sought bail, arguing that the former minister had no role in the sale of passes and no connection with Mass Art Society or any other entity that has emerged during the investigation. The counsel denied all charges levelled against Sen. After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge granted the prosecution's request and remanded Sen to 13 days of police custody.

Investigation by Police and ED

A city police official stated that the primary focus of the ongoing investigation is to identify other beneficiaries in the alleged scam, for which further interrogation of Sen was deemed necessary. According to police sources, Sen was questioned for several hours at Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar following his arrest. Both Kolkata Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are reportedly conducting parallel probes into the matter.

Notably, Sen was arrested shortly after he emerged from the ED office in Salt Lake on Wednesday following an extensive round of questioning — a sequence of events that underlines the multi-agency scrutiny now trained on the alleged scheme.

Background and Broader Context

The case centres on the alleged misuse of the UNESCO tag associated with Kolkata's Durga Puja, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2021. Critics argue that the commercial exploitation of this recognition — if proven — would constitute a direct violation of UNESCO guidelines that prohibit the use of its logo for commercial gain. This episode adds to a growing list of scam allegations that have dogged the West Bengal political establishment in recent years, following earlier controversies around school recruitment and municipal hiring.

As the parallel probes by Kolkata Police and the ED advance, investigators are expected to widen their net to trace the full financial trail and identify all alleged beneficiaries of the scheme.