ED Searches 15 Premises in Kolkata in MassArt Case, Former Minister Indranil Sen Under Probe

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted search and seizure operations at 15 premises in Kolkata and adjoining areas as part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to the Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society, or massArt, which organised Durga Puja preview shows.

Former West Bengal minister and singer Indranil Sen, along with people associated with him, was among those covered by the searches. The operation was conducted by the ED’s Kolkata zonal office under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Officials said documents and other materials were being examined to trace the collection and utilisation of funds allegedly linked to the case.

According to the ED, massArt allegedly collected substantial amounts from the public while claiming to be associated with a UNESCO-sponsored entity. The agency is investigating allegations that a portion of the funds collected through Durga Puja preview shows was subsequently diverted for personal gain. These are allegations under investigation and have not been established by a court.

The searches covered multiple properties associated with Sen and his associates. They included his residence in Kasba, other locations in Kolkata and a property in the Singur area of Hooghly district. An event-management businessman’s premises in Highland Park was also among the locations searched, according to reports.

The investigation centres on massArt’s organisation of exclusive Durga Puja preview shows. The organisation, headed by Sen’s wife Madhuchhanda Sen, had organised preview access to selected Durga Puja pandals before they opened to the general public.

A police complaint filed earlier against Sen, his wife and massArt alleged that the organisation had used claims of a UNESCO association while collecting money for the preview shows. The complainant also alleged that passes were sold for access to selected Puja pandals.

Investigators are examining the scale of the transactions. According to officials and reports based on the preliminary investigation, around 19,000 people registered for preview passes in 2022, around 34,000 in 2023 and approximately 61,000 in 2024. Sources have estimated the financial irregularities under investigation at between Rs 50 crore and Rs 60 crore.

The reported ticket prices varied depending on the event and source. Some reports have put the prices of preview passes at between around Rs 1,800 and Rs 5,500. Investigators are examining the actual flow of funds, the entities involved in collecting the money and how the proceeds were subsequently used.

The ED’s investigation follows a police complaint filed in June by Kolkata-based travel professional Jaydip Mukherjee. The complaint alleged that massArt had represented itself as having a connection with UNESCO while organising the preview events. The complainant has said that he subsequently contacted UNESCO regarding the alleged association.

The issue of UNESCO is particularly significant because Kolkata’s Durga Puja was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021. The international recognition, however, does not by itself establish that an organisation organising commercial or cultural activities around Durga Puja is officially sponsored by UNESCO.

Indranil Sen and massArt have previously disputed allegations against them. Sen had said that massArt had issued VIP cards rather than sold tickets in certain years and had maintained that its activities had UNESCO-related approval. He had also questioned the basis for allegations of financial irregularities, pointing to the absence of supporting financial records in the earlier police investigation.

As of the latest reports, no finding of guilt has been made against Sen, his wife or massArt. The ED searches are part of an ongoing investigation, and the agency is examining documents and other material to establish the alleged flow of funds.

The ED action comes ahead of Durga Puja and has brought renewed attention to the growing commercial ecosystem surrounding the festival, particularly the sale of access to exclusive preview events. The investigation will now focus on determining whether the alleged financial transactions constituted proceeds of crime and whether any money was diverted or laundered, as alleged by the investigating agency.