BENGAL INQUIRY COMMISSION SEEKS A DECADE OF CULTURAL EVENT RECORDS AS INDRANIL SEN FACES FRESH SCRUTINY
October 31, 2026
KOLKATA, OCTOBER 31: The West Bengal Judicial Inquiry Commission on Institutional Corruption has sought nearly ten years of records from the state Information and Cultural Affairs Department, widening its examination of cultural programmes organised during the tenure of former minister Indranil Sen.
The commission has asked departmental officials to submit detailed documentation covering events held between 2016 and March 2026. The programmes under scrutiny include the Durga Puja Carnival, Bangla Moder Gorbo, Kolkata International Book Fair, Kolkata International Film Festival and Bangla Sangeet Mela. Sen served as Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs for nearly nine years during this period.
The inquiry panel has sought programme-wise details of budgets, government allocations, actual expenditure and financial approvals. It has also requested the names of officials responsible for organising the events and the authorities empowered to sanction expenditure.
The scrutiny extends to the selection and remuneration of artistes, their travel and accommodation expenses, and the agencies engaged for staging, lighting, sound, catering and decoration. The commission has also sought tender documents, work orders, details of participating agencies, IP addresses associated with electronic tenders, tender committee membership and records of administrative approvals.
Officials have additionally been asked to provide information about audit objections or complaints concerning the tendering process, along with permissions obtained from police, fire services, municipal authorities and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board.
The latest development comes two days after Kolkata Police arrested Sen in connection with alleged financial irregularities involving the Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society (massArt), which allegedly organised commercial Durga Puja preview shows and sold privileged-entry passes between 2022 and 2025. The organisation, headed by Sen's wife, Madhuchhanda, has been accused of projecting an unauthorised association with UNESCO.
Police have alleged that substantial sums were collected through the arrangement, while the Enforcement Directorate is conducting a parallel investigation into the suspected financial transactions. Sen's arrest and the ongoing investigations have brought renewed attention to the financial and administrative management of cultural programmes organised during his ministerial tenure.
The commission's latest demand for records does not itself establish wrongdoing in the organisation of these events. The documents are expected to help investigators examine expenditure, procurement procedures, contractual decisions and the officials involved in administering public cultural programmes.
