Rs 4,000 preview tickets, donor pass scam: Mamata's e minister in Durga Puja row
Trouble is brewing for former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen and his wife Madhuchhanda Sen as they have been accused of running an alleged Durga
Trouble is brewing for former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen and his wife Madhuchhanda Sen as they have been accused of running an alleged Durga Puja-linked commercial racket since 2022, with an official complaint accusing them of issuing Rs 4,000 preview tickets, donor passes, and misusing the UNESCO branding for a select few pandals. A formal complaint in this regard has been filed before Kolkata Police by international travel consultant and Durga Puja promoter Jaydeep Mukherjee. Read Full Story The complaint alleges that Sen, his wife Madhuchhanda, and members of the organisation Mass Art misused UNESCO's name and branding to sell premium preview passes and generate revenue through what has been described as an unlawful ticketing operation. Mukherjee, who describes himself as a global promoter of Durga Puja since 2010, has named four individuals in his complaint — former minister Indranil Sen, Madhuchhanda Sen, Mass Art secretary Dhrubajyoti Bose, and vice-president Sayantan Maitra. He has accused them of misleading the public by falsely projecting an association with UNESCO after Kolkata's Durga Puja was inscribed on the UN agency’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2021.
According to the complaint, the accused established the Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society in June 2022 and subsequently began presenting themselves as official partners of UNESCO for the promotion of Durga Puja in West Bengal. Mukherjee alleged that this claim was false and was used to attract visitors, sponsors and. The complainant stated that the organisation sold preview show tickets priced at Rs 4,000 for access to 24 select Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata. He alleged that these pandals were as being chosen by UNESCO, despite no such endorsement existing. The complaint further claims that ticket buyers were promised visits by UNESCO representatives and international delegations during the preview events. "Since 2022, the aforesaid organisation falsely claimed to be the official partners of UNESCO to promote Durga Puja in the State of West Bengal," the complaint states. It further alleges that the accused "cheated the common people and carried out an extortion racket in the State of West Bengal." Mukherjee has also claimed that no UNESCO delegation ever visited the select pandals, despite such assurances allegedly being used as a selling point for tickets and sponsorship packages.
He contends that the operation continued between 2022 and 2024 and was carried out under the protection of influential political connections. The complaint additionally raises questions about a donor pass introduced in 2025. According to Mukherjee, the organisation claimed that proceeds collected through these passes would benefit artisans and puja committees. However, he alleged that no financial records, audits or public documentation have been released to establish how the funds were utilised. The complaint states that the organisation's claims regarding the distribution of donations remain unsubstantiated. A major point of contention in the complaint relates to restricted access during Durga Puja festivities. Mukherjee alleged that entry to certain pandals during preview events was limited to those who purchased tickets, while ordinary visitors were denied access. He argued that this transformed what has traditionally been a free public celebration into an exclusive event for paying attendees. "What has always been a free, public celebration of devotion, spirituality and art" was allegedly turned into a restricted space, the complaint states, adding that the practice created tension among devotees and diluted the inclusive spirit of Durga Puja.
The BriefWire