Former West Bengal Minister and Singer Indranil Sen Arrested in Kolkata over UNESCO Name Forgery and Embezzlement Allegations

Kolkata Police have arrested singer and former West Bengal culture minister Indranil Sen. On Wednesday (28 October), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had summoned him to the CGO Complex in Salt Lake for questioning in a case involving forgery of UNESCO's name and embezzlement of money. He was arrested as he came out of the complex after lengthy questioning.

Kolkata Police sources said the detective branch at Lalbazar arrested Indranil Sen in a case filed at Bowbazar police station. After the arrest, he was taken to the Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar, where he will be questioned.

Indranil Sen and his wife face allegations of selling Durga Puja preview shows and VIP passes through an organisation called 'Mass Art' by exploiting UNESCO's name. According to the allegations, from 2022 to 2024 the organisation sold more than one hundred thousand preview cards and donor cards over three years.

The allegations further state that the organisation raised a total of 60 crore rupees from the market. However, it is alleged that none of that large sum was deposited into any puja committee's account or to the government.

After the BJP government came to power in West Bengal, a man named Joydeep Mukhopadhyay filed a complaint on the matter at Bowbazar police station in Kolkata. The written complaint stated that on 28 June 2022, Indranil Sen and his wife created an organisation.

According to the complaint, the organisation sold tickets priced at four thousand or more for preview shows at 24 selected pandals in Kolkata. The accused claimed to be official partners of UNESCO and used UNESCO's name and logo, the complaint stated. The complainant applied for an investigation into the matter.

Based on the Bowbazar police station case, the ED separately began investigating the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act over allegations of financial corruption involving crores of rupees. Searches were carried out at several of Indranil Sen's houses, and he had faced questioning several times.

He had repeatedly ignored police summonses for questioning. As fears of arrest grew, he applied for anticipatory bail first at the Calcutta High Court and later at the Supreme Court. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 2 November. However, he was arrested on Wednesday before that hearing.