Complaint against Ex-minister Indranil Sen for selling fake Durga Puja passes using UNESCO tag

A formal police complaint has been filed against former West Bengal Tourism Minister Indranil Sen and his wife, Madhuchhanda Sen, for their alleged involvement in an illegal financial racket centred around Kolkata's Durga Puja. The complaint, lodged by international travel consultant Jaydeep Mukherjee at the Bowbazar Police Station, also names three other functionaries associated with an organisation named 'MassArt'. The accused have been hit with allegations of illegally selling premium preview show tickets by falsely claiming to be official commercial partners of UNESCO.

According to the complainant, the fraudulent activities began shortly after Kolkata's Durga Puja received the prestigious 'Intangible Cultural Heritage' tag from UNESCO in 2021. In June 2022, the accused incorporated the Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society (MassArt), with Madhuchhanda Sen serving as its president. The organisation allegedly misled the public and puja committees by claiming they had entered into a joint venture with UNESCO to select 24 premium Durga Puja pandals for exclusive international preview shows, selling access tickets for up to ₹4,000.

The matter came to light after Mukherjee directly contacted UNESCO's international headquarters to verify the partnership. The UN body officially reverted via email, clarifying that they had never signed any commercial or promotional agreements with MassArt, nor had they authorised the use of the official UNESCO name or logo for selling tickets. The complainant has submitted these official emails and verifying documents to the Kolkata Police Commissioner, the state DGP, and Bowbazar police officials, alleging that a financial scam worth crores of rupees is tied to this operation.

Mukherjee stated that he was unable to raise his voice earlier because the influential accused were heavily backed by the ruling Trinamool Congress government of the time. He has demanded a thorough investigation, noting that manipulating a global heritage title for private financial gain severely tarnishes the country's international reputation. Meanwhile, former minister Indranil Sen has vehemently dismissed the charges, calling the allegations completely baseless and denying any involvement of his former department.