The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has confirmed to the Kolkata Police that it has no agreement with 'Mass Art' — the organisation linked to former West Bengal Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Indranil Sen — for the sale of UNESCO-tagged Durga Puja passes. The disclosure was made by the public prosecutor before a lower court in Kolkata on Saturday, 7 November 2026, as the case of fraudulent Durga Puja passes continues to widen in scope.

UNESCO's Clarification to the SIT

According to the public prosecutor's submission, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kolkata Police had written to UNESCO seeking clarification on whether the global agency held any arrangement with 'Mass Art' — an entity owned by Madhuchhanda Sen, wife of former minister Indranil Sen — for authorising or distributing passes bearing the UNESCO tag. The UN agency reportedly wrote back confirming no such agreement existed. This response from UNESCO effectively strips away any legitimacy that the accused may have claimed for the passes sold under the UN agency's brand.

Custody Status: From Police to Judicial Remand

The former minister had been arrested last month by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case and was placed in police custody until 10 November. However, on Saturday — three days before that deadline — the police produced Sen before the same court and sought his transfer to judicial custody instead. The public prosecutor cited the ongoing festival holidays as a reason for documents from the state government being delayed, arguing that keeping Sen in police custody in the interim would amount to 'wasting time.'

According to the prosecutor, Sen currently holds ₹27 lakh across two of his bank accounts. A total of ₹10 crore has been seized from 27 frozen bank accounts linked to the case, and 13 crucial documents have been seized by investigators and are pending verification. The prosecutor also urged the court not to grant bail, asserting that the investigation remains at a critical stage.

First-Class Prisoner Status: Courtroom Battle

Sen's legal counsel did not oppose the judicial custody request outright but demanded that his client be granted first-class prisoner status in jail, along with access to all prescribed medications. The public prosecutor opposed this, calling for a separate hearing to assess whether Sen qualified for such treatment. Sen's defence argued the precedent set by former West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Basu, who had reportedly been accorded first-class prisoner category during his own judicial custody. The presiding judge ultimately approved the first-class status and remanded Indranil Sen to judicial custody until 21 November.

Background and Significance

Indranil Sen, a singer-turned-politician, served as West Bengal's Minister of Tourism and later as Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs. The case revolves around the alleged sale of passes for Kolkata's Durga Puja — which holds UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status — that falsely carried the UN agency's branding. The involvement of a former state minister and the scale of the alleged financial trail, with over ₹10 crore seized from multiple accounts, has made this one of the more high-profile corruption probes in West Bengal in recent months. The case also raises broader questions about the commercialisation of UNESCO-tagged cultural events and the oversight mechanisms in place to prevent misuse of the UN agency's name.

The next hearing is set for 21 November, when fresh developments in the investigation — including the verification of seized documents — may surface before the court.