KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday questioned former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen for nearly 10 hours in connection with a money-laundering probe into alleged financial irregularities surrounding Durga Puja preview shows, ED sources said.
The searches were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with alleged financial irregularities involving massArt (Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society), an organisation that hosts Durga Puja preview shows.
According to the ED, massArt, headed by Sen's wife Madhuchhanda Sen, allegedly collected substantial amounts from the public by claiming that the funds were being raised for a UNESCO-sponsored entity. The agency suspects that the money was subsequently diverted for personal gains.
Sen, who served as minister of state for information and cultural affairs in the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, appeared at the ED's Salt Lake CGO Complex office at 11.00 am and left at around 9.30 pm.
The questioning came a day after the agency conducted searches at 15 locations linked to Sen and others in connection with the case, involving an alleged amount of Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore.
“Our officers questioned Sen for nearly 10 hours...We have not received proper replies to certain questions,” said ED sources.
“We are examining the entire chain of transactions, including the collection and movement of funds, and the role of individuals associated,” the sources added.
Sen did not respond to reporters' questions while leaving the ED office.
The ED conducted searches at Sen's residence in Kasba and at several other locations, including Hindustan Park and Highland Park. An ED team also searched Sen's resort-cum-bungalow in Singur, Hooghly district. The Highland Park search was conducted at a residential building owned by an event-management businessman, said sources.
The probe followed a complaint filed against Madhuchhanda and massArt at Bowbazar police station in June. The organisation was allegedly formed around six months after Kolkata's Durga Puja received UNESCO recognition in 2021, when the TMC government returned to power for a third term.
The organisation allegedly described itself as an “official partner” of UNESCO and used the name and logo of the international body without its approval, said sources.
According to sources, massArt sold preview-show passes for around 24 big-budget Durga Puja celebrations at prices ranging from Rs 1,800 to Rs 5,500 each.
Preliminary investigation showed that around 19,000 people registered for the preview passes in 2022, rising to 34,000 in 2023 and around 61,000 in 2024, said sources.
The ED's searches were based on these alleged irregularities. A response from Sen or massArt to the agency's action was not immediately available.