States » EastPosted at: Oct 7 2026 11:03PM


Former Bengal minister grilled by ED in alleged Durga Puja pass distribution graft

Kolkata, Oct 7 (UNI) Former West Bengal Minister Indranil Sen was on Wednesday questioned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials over his alleged involvement in graft linked to the distribution of passes for the UNESCO-recognised Durga Puja.
Following his previous appearance on September 30, Sen arrived at the ED office in Salt Lake during the day, carrying documents related to bank transactions.
The case involves Durga Puja 'preview show' passes — a scheme that allegedly exploited the UNESCO tag. Acting on allegations of corruption amounting to approximately Rs 140 crore, the ED had earlier conducted searches at around 15 locations, including Sen's residence and office.
The ED alleges that vast sums of money were collected under the guise of Puja passes over a period of three years starting in 2022. In violation of government tender regulations, Sen allegedly awarded contracts worth approximately Rs 85 crore to a company owned by his close associates. More than Rs 3.8 crore in cash was deposited into the bank account of 'Octave Records', a company owned by Sen.
The ED claims that Rs 30 lakh was transferred from that account to the account of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Reports suggest that central investigators have obtained documents supporting these claims.
The ED claims that despite being questioned using various physical and electronic records, there are significant inconsistencies in Indranil Sen's statements. He reportedly did not cooperate with the ED during the initial round of questioning.
Consequently, he has been summoned again to the ED's office at the CGO Complex. Investigators have sought records of bank transactions spanning 10 years, and the interrogation today is expected to proceed with these documents as a reference.
However, the former minister evaded questions from journalists as he entered the ED office.
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