ED summons ex-Bengal minister Indranil Sen in ₹60 crore Durga Puja fraud case
Synopsis
The ED's 16-hour raid on former Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen's home — followed swiftly by a summons — puts a ₹60 crore fraud at the heart of Kolkata's most celebrated cultural event. The alleged scheme exploited UNESCO's heritage tag on Durga Puja, with fake pass registrations reportedly tripling from 19,000 to 61,000 in just two years.
Key Takeaways
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen for questioning at its Salt Lake, Kolkata office by 11 a.m. on Wednesday .
ED teams raided 10 locations on Tuesday , including Sen's residence in Kasba, South Kolkata , in a search operation lasting over 16 hours .
The alleged fraud involves fake passes for Durga Puja preview shows , with prices between ₹1,749 and ₹5,499 per pass, misusing the UNESCO heritage tag.
Initial estimates put the alleged embezzlement at around ₹60 crore ; pass registrations surged from 19,000 in 2022 to 61,000 in 2024 .
Sen's wife Madhuchhanda Sen was reportedly closely linked to the organisation 'Mass Art' at the centre of the allegations.
Sen has denied all charges and threatened legal action, citing alleged harassment of himself and his family.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen for questioning at its Salt Lake office in Kolkata on Wednesday, a day after agency teams conducted a 16-hour raid at his residence in connection with an alleged ₹60 crore money laundering case linked to fake Durga Puja passes. Sen has been directed to appear at the ED office by 11 a.m.
What the Raids Covered
On Tuesday, multiple ED teams carried out simultaneous raids across ten locations, including the Kasba, South Kolkata residence of Sen and his wife, Madhuchhanda Sen. The operations also extended to the homes of some of Sen's relatives and the residence of an event manager identified as Arijit Dasgupta. The central agency's search operation at the minister's residence alone lasted over 16 hours, according to reports.
The Alleged Fraud: UNESCO Tag and Fake Passes
The core allegation centres on the sale of fake passes for Durga Puja tours by exploiting the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage tag granted to Kolkata's Durga Puja in 2021. Following the UNESCO recognition, an organisation called 'Mass Art' was formed, which reportedly claimed to be UNESCO's 'official partner' and began promoting Durga Puja parikrama tours. Passes for 24 Durga Puja 'preview shows' at select pandals in Kolkata were sold at prices ranging from ₹1,749 to ₹5,499 each, with the organisation claiming UNESCO had designated those 24 puja pandals — a claim for which no official confirmation has emerged, according to sources aware of the investigation.
Madhuchhanda Sen was reportedly closely associated with 'Mass Art'. The ED's initial probe estimates total alleged embezzlement at around ₹60 crore. Registrations for the passes grew sharply year-on-year: approximately 19,000 people registered in 2022, 34,000 in 2023, and 61,000 in 2024 — indicating a rapidly expanding operation, according to initial findings.
How the Investigation Began
The ED initiated its probe based on a complaint filed by Joydeep Mukherjee, identified as a fraud victim, at Bowbazar Police Station in June 2026. The agency has been building its money laundering case on the back of that complaint. Notably, the ED's involvement signals the case has moved beyond a standard fraud complaint into the realm of proceeds of crime and financial flows — the agency's primary jurisdiction.
Sen Denies Charges, Threatens Legal Action
Former minister Indranil Sen, a well-known singer-turned-politician, has categorically denied all allegations since they first surfaced. Following Tuesday's raids, Sen said he and his family had faced alleged harassment and threatened legal action against the agency. He has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation period.
What Happens Next
Sen's questioning by the ED on Wednesday is expected to be a key step in piecing together the alleged financial trail. The agency is likely to probe the organisational structure of 'Mass Art', fund flows, and the extent of Madhuchhanda Sen's role. With registrations having nearly tripled between 2022 and 2024, investigators will look to establish whether proceeds were systematically laundered — a determination that could shape whether formal arrests follow the summons.
Point of View
But for its method — weaponising cultural prestige, specifically UNESCO's 2021 recognition of Kolkata's Durga Puja, to extract money from devotees. The near-tripling of registrations from 19,000 to 61,000 in two years suggests either a very successful scam or a very determined public demand for something real — and investigators will need to disentangle the two. What this case also signals is the ED's continued interest in the political-cultural-business nexus in West Bengal, a pattern that has drawn both legal challenges and political pushback from the state government. The fact that the initial complaint came from a private citizen at a local police station, and has now escalated to a central money laundering probe, underscores how quickly UNESCO-brand exploitation can become a federal matter.
NationPress
30 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the ED summoned Indranil Sen?
The ED has summoned former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen for questioning in connection with an alleged ₹60 crore money laundering case involving the sale of fake Durga Puja preview-show passes under the misappropriated UNESCO heritage brand. He has been asked to appear at the agency's Salt Lake, Kolkata office by 11 a.m. on Wednesday, a day after a 16-hour raid at his residence.
What is the Durga Puja fake passes fraud case?
The alleged fraud involves an organisation called 'Mass Art', which claimed to be UNESCO's 'official partner' following the 2021 UNESCO recognition of Kolkata's Durga Puja. The group sold passes for 24 Durga Puja 'preview shows' at prices ranging from ₹1,749 to ₹5,499, claiming the pandals were UNESCO-designated — a claim that has not been officially verified. The ED estimates around ₹60 crore was embezzled through this scheme.
Who else is under the ED's scanner in this case?
Sen's wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, who was reportedly closely associated with 'Mass Art', is also under scrutiny. Raids were also conducted at the homes of some of Sen's relatives and at the residence of event manager Arijit Dasgupta. The ED registered its case based on a complaint by fraud victim Joydeep Mukherjee at Bowbazar Police Station in June.
What has Indranil Sen said about the allegations?
Sen has categorically denied all charges and has done so consistently since the allegations first emerged. After Tuesday's raids, he threatened legal action, alleging harassment of himself and his family members by the agency.
How large was the scale of the alleged pass-selling operation?
According to initial investigation findings, approximately 19,000 people registered for the passes in 2022, rising to 34,000 in 2023 and 61,000 in 2024 — a more than three-fold increase over two years, pointing to the rapid expansion of the alleged scheme before the ED's intervention.
