# ED raids ex-West Bengal minister Indranil Sen in Rs 60 crore Durga Puja case

2026-09-29T05:56:44+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday searched 15 premises in Kolkata, including the home of former West Bengal tourism minister Indranil Sen, in a money laundering probe linked to Durga Puja preview shows. The case centres on MassArt, a non-profit that allegedly collected crores of rupees from the public by falsely claiming UNESCO sponsorship for its preview events. A complaint filed in June, after the BJP came to power, triggered the probe. Investigators say funds from ticket sales were diverted for personal gain. Reports estimate the financial involvement at around Rs 60 crore, though this has not been established in court. Sen and his wife have denied the allegations and say MassArt had proper clearances. The ED is now examining the financial records and transactions seized in the raids.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The three outlets report similar facts, but Hindustan Times leads with the BJP-linked complaint and frames the case as political, naming the party’s rise as a trigger. Times of India sticks to the ED’s procedural PMLA action without political context. National Herald provides the most detail on the allegations, including the ticket sales growth from 19,000 to 61,000 and the Rs 60 crore figure, but notes the denials and ongoing investigation. A reader can see the core financial allegations are consistent across sources, the political dimension is raised only by Hindustan Times. The next step is the ED’s continuing examination of the financial records seized from the 15 premises.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com (government critical) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ed-conducts-searches-in-premises-linked-to-ex-wb-min-others-in-money-laundering-case-101790656881408.html>
  Foregrounds BJP complaint timing and political context
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pmla-case-ed-searches-ex-bengal-minister-indranil-sens-premises-14-others/articleshow/134556421.cms>
  Straight procedural reporting on PMLA searches
- nationalheraldindia.com (neutral report) <https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/ed-raids-10-places-linked-to-ex-bengal-minister-in-money-laundering-case>
  Detailed factual account including denials and ticket sale numbers

Tags: Bharatiya Janata Party, Enforcement Directorate, Indranil Sen, Kolkata, MassArt, Trinamool Congress
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ed-raids-former-bengal-minister-indranil-sen-in-massart-money-laundering-case/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ed-raids-former-bengal-minister-indranil-sen-in-massart-money-laundering-case/#story-in-brief