Ex-Bengal tourism minister Indranil Sen arrested in alleged UNESCO-linked Durga Puja pass scam
Former West Bengal Tourism minister Indranil Sen has been arrested in an alleged Rs 50-60 crore financial irregularities case involving MassArt Society, an organisation with which he and his wife were allegedly associated.
The ED is probing claims that the society misrepresented its association with UNESCO while collecting money through Durga Puja preview shows and privileged-entry passes between 2022 and 2025.
Indranil Sen was arrested on Wednesday after being questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials for at least four hours.
A Kolkata Police team subsequently took him to Lalbazar, the city police headquarters, for further questioning over alleged financial irregularities linked to Durga Puja preview shows and pass sales, before arresting him.
The ED and Kolkata Police are separately investigating alleged irregularities involving MassArt Society, an organisation with which Sen and his wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, were allegedly associated.
The ED's preliminary estimate suggests that the alleged irregularities could involve Rs 50-60 crore.
Meanwhile on the floor of the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari asked ex CM Mamata Banerjee to retire from electoral politics and rest at home.
He explained why he chose to retain Bhabanipur in south Kolkata and vacate Nandigram instead.
Adhikari said he did not want to give Mamata Banerjee another opportunity to contest a bypoll.
“I thank the people of Nandigram, who were quite upset with me and told me that I could have given up Bhabanipur. I explained to them that if I had given up Bhabanipur, the person who has lost to me twice might have got another chance to contest the election,” he said.
Adhikari was speaking after Hasirani Rath, the mother of his former aide Chandranath Rath, and Shankharav Sarkar were sworn in as BJP MLAs in the Assembly. They won the Nandigram and Rejinagar bypolls, respectively, earlier this month, allowing the BJP to highlight its record victory margin in Nandigram and its breakthrough in Muslim-majority Rejinagar.
Adhikari also sought to reassure Nandigram residents who, according to him, were unhappy with his decision to leave the constituency. He said he had explained why the move was necessary and promised to fulfil his commitments to them through Hasirani Rath.
West Bengal CM offers CID probe into TMC document loot charge if Ritabrata files police complaint
The leader of the rebel TMC said on social media that an attempt was made to hijack a truck carrying hundreds of thousands of affidavits and other documents while on its way to submit those to the Election Commission.
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