ED searches 15 premises linked to ex-West Bengal minister Indranil Sen
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out search-and-seizure operations at 15 locations in Kolkata and nearby areas. These included properties connected to former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen. The searches are part of a money-laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The agency’s Kolkata office began acting under Section 17 of the PMLA early in the morning. Teams arrived at Sen’s home in Kasba and other city locations around 6:30 am. They also searched farmhouses in Hooghly and Singur, relatives’ homes, and the house of an event-management businessman in Highland Park. The team also conducted operations at Hindustan Park. Police and other security forces worked with the ED as teams checked documents and electronic records.
The investigation focuses on alleged financial irregularities by MassArt, also known as the Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society, which is led by Sen’s wife, Madhuchhanda Sen. Officials said the society held Durga Puja “preview shows” for visitors from India and abroad before the festival opened to everyone. They sold passes and collected large amounts of money, presenting the society as a UNESCO-sponsored group.
Investigators say the organisation used UNESCO’s name, branding, and logo without proper commercial permission after Durga Puja in Kolkata was given UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage tag in 2021. Officials claim that money raised from the preview events and pass sales was later used for personal benefit. Sources close to the inquiry said investigators are looking into collections estimated at Rs 50–60 crore over several years, with tens of thousands of people registering for the preview events between 2022 and 2024.
The federal case began after a complaint was filed with Kolkata Police in June against Sen, his wife, and other MassArt officials over alleged problems with selling preview passes. The complaint, made at Bowbazar police station, said that expensive donor and preview tickets were sold by claiming an official partnership with UNESCO. Earlier, the Calcutta High Court asked the State for a progress report and at one point ordered that no action be taken against Sen until a certain date while the police investigation continued.
ED teams are now tracing the flow and use of funds, examining the society’s ownership and management, bank and digital payment records, and possible links to other groups, including an art gallery that was part of some tour plans. Officials said they are seizing documents and materials believed to be connected to proceeds of crime under PMLA rules. Sen, the Minister of State for Tourism and Information and Culture, had contested the 2026 West Bengal Assembly election as a Trinamool Congress candidate from Hooghly and lost.
Neither Sen nor MassArt could be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday’s searches. The agency said the operation forms part of its continuing investigation into alleged proceeds of crime arising from the society’s financial dealings.
