Bengal: Judicial probe panel seeks all proposals cleared by Indranil Sen during Cabinet tenure

Kolkata, Oct 15 (IANS) A judicial inquiry commission, set up by the West Bengal government to investigate alleged institutional corruption during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress regime, on Thursday sought all the files and proposals cleared by Indranil Sen during his tenure as a member of the West Bengal cabinet from 2016 to 2026.

The panel, headed by retired Calcutta High Court Justice Biswajit Basu, had already started probing multiple allegations against Sen, a singer-turned-politician, during his tenure as West Bengal Minister of State for Information & Cultural Affairs and State Tourism Minister.

The judicial commission sought the related files from the state secretariat, Nabanna, on the same day a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea regarding an ongoing investigation against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

The main case in which the judicial probe commission has initiated an investigation against the former minister involves alleged irregularities in contracts awarded for the “Moder Gorob Bangla” (Bengal, Our Pride) project, launched during his tenure in the Information & Cultural Affairs Department.

The “Moder Gorob Bangla” project was launched by the West Bengal Information & Cultural Affairs Department to promote Bengal’s folk culture, handicrafts, history, and tourism potential, while also providing opportunities to local artists in every district of the state.

As part of the project, fairs, exhibitions, and handicraft stalls were organised across different parts of the state.

The judicial panel received a complaint that in 2022 and 2023, all the tenders for these fairs and exhibitions were awarded to a few specific organisations close to Indranil Sen.

It was alleged that Sen used his influence to secure tenders worth crores of rupees for select entities of his choice, some of which belonged to his relatives.

Earlier this month, the ED issued a statement naming former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in connection with a transaction involving the Sen-owned Octave Records.

According to the agency, nearly Rs 30 lakh was allegedly transferred from the company’s accounts to Banerjee through banking channels. Sen, however, maintained that the payment was made as royalty.

–IANS

src/dan