Kolkata, 07 November (H.S.) : Troubles continue to mount for Indranil Sen, a former minister in the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee government, as fresh evidence points to a massive government tender scam. Already under arrest on charges of illegally selling Durga Puja passes using the UNESCO logo, Sen is now accused of leveraging his political influence as the Minister for Information and Cultural Affairs (I&CA) and Tourism to award lucrative contracts worth crores to just three specific companies.

Investigations indicate that the magnitude of the scam could exceed Rs 150 crore. Document verification has revealed a startling fact: these three companies exclusively cornered 80 percent of the tenders floated by the two departments across the state, despite the presence of several other qualified event management firms in Kolkata.

The ongoing probe has brought several specific instances to light. In October 2025, during the Chandannagar Jagaddhatri Puja tender process, only these three companies participated; one was disqualified due to a technical glitch, while another secured a contract worth Rs 4.45 lakh. In February, for the 'State Day' celebrations at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, the same trio submitted bids, with one firm bagging a Rs 45 lakh contract.

Interestingly, for the Barisha Poush Utsav in December 2024, the company previously disqualified on technical grounds in Chandannagar was awarded a Rs 39 lakh contract. A similar monopoly was observed during the Bishnupur Music Festival in December 2025, where one of the three firms secured an Rs 85 lakh contract. Notably, Sen served as the I&CA minister for nine consecutive years and held the additional charge of the Tourism Department during his final three years in office.

According to investigators, while the former minister was not directly associated with these firms on paper, concrete evidence of financial transactions has been traced linking these companies to the recently arrested Dhrubajyoti Basu, alias 'Shubho', his firm 'Mass Art', and Sen's family members. Tender documents reveal that the first company, based in Rajdanga, secured contracts worth approximately Rs 60 crore from the I&CA department and Rs 4 crore from the Tourism department.

The second firm, located on Hazra Road, bagged contracts worth Rs 61 crore and Rs 5 crore from the respective departments. The third company, based on Durgacharan Mitra Street, received contracts worth Rs 20 crore and just under Rs 1 crore. Acting on these financial leads, the police have frozen transactions across 28 bank accounts.

The intelligence department of the Kolkata Police conducted a raid at Sen’s Kasba residence on Friday. Investigating officers estimate that the total volume of the scam could easily cross the Rs 150-crore mark, as prices in several tenders were allegedly inflated well above standard market rates. The complicity of departmental officials involved in the tendering process is also under rigorous scrutiny.

Meanwhile, during police interrogation, the former minister's daughter claimed that her father exclusively managed her company's bank accounts and she had no knowledge regarding the source of the deposited funds. In light of these developments, Lalbazar (Kolkata Police Headquarters) is currently seeking legal counsel to invoke specific sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Indranil Sen for the gross misuse of his official position.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh