Kolkata: The troubles for Indranil Sen, a former minister in Mamata Banerjee’s government, continue to mount. Already arrested in connection with the illegal sale of Durga Puja passes, Indranil now faces evidence of massive corruption involving government tenders. Investigators allege that during his tenure as the Minister for Information and Cultural Affairs and Tourism, he leveraged his political influence to secure tenders worth crores of rupees exclusively for three specific companies. The investigation so far points to a scam exceeding ₹150 crore. A review of documents has revealed the startling fact that for 80 percent of the tenders issued by these two departments, only these three companies—from across the entire state—participated, despite the presence of numerous other qualified event management firms in Kolkata.
The investigation has uncovered several specific instances: for the Chandannagar Jagaddhatri Puja tender in October 2025, only these three companies participated; one was disqualified due to a technical flaw, while another was awarded a contract worth ₹4.45 lakh. In February, for the ‘State Day’ (Rajya Diwas) celebrations at the Dhandhanya Auditorium, these same companies placed bids, with one securing a tender worth ₹45 lakh. For the Barisha Poush Utsab in December 2024, a contract worth ₹39 lakh was awarded to a company that had previously been technically disqualified during the Chandannagar tender process. Similarly, for the Bishnupur Music Festival in December 2025, these same companies dominated the bidding, with one firm securing a tender worth ₹85 lakh.
It is noteworthy that Indranil served as the Minister for Information and Cultural Affairs for nine consecutive years, and during the final three years, he also held additional charge of the Tourism Department. According to investigators, the former minister was not directly associated with these companies; however, concrete evidence has been found of financial transactions involving the arrested individual, Dhruvajyoti Basu (alias ‘Shubho’), his company ‘Mass Art’, and the minister’s family. Based on tender documents, the first company—located in Rajdanga—secured contracts worth approximately ₹60 crore from the Information and Cultural Affairs Department and ₹4 crore from the Tourism Department. A second company, based on Hazra Road, received contracts worth ₹61 crore and ₹5 crore, respectively, while a third company, located on Durgacharan Mitra Street, obtained contracts worth ₹20 crore and less than ₹1 crore. Following these leads, the police have frozen transactions across 28 bank accounts.
On Friday, the Intelligence Branch of the Kolkata Police conducted a raid at Indranil’s residence in Kasba. Investigating officers estimate that the total value of the scam could exceed ₹150 crore, as many tenders reflected costs significantly higher than prevailing market rates. The role of departmental officials in this process is also under scrutiny. Meanwhile, during police questioning, the former minister’s daughter claimed that her father managed the bank accounts of her company and that she was unaware of the source of the funds. Separately, the Lalbazar police headquarters is seeking legal counsel on invoking sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Indranil Sen, on charges of misusing his official position.
