India
Kolkata Police Detain MassArt Secretary in Durga Puja Ticket Scam
The Kolkata Police arrested MassArt secretary Dhrubajyoti Bose, known as Suvo, on the night of November 4, 2026, in connection with a Durga Puja ticket scam. MassArt is accused of misappropriating funds and charging people for premium Durga Puja viewing tickets. A week earlier, former Trinamool Congress Tourism and Culture Minister Indranil Sen was also arrested in the same case and is under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Additional Commissioner of Police Kunal Agarwal said Bose was taken into custody at 19.15 hours in front of the KIT Building, P16, India Exchange Place Road (Terita Bazar), Poddar Court Extension. Bose has performed alongside senior officials of the former government during Durga Puja events, including top ministers from Mamata Banerjee’s administration and Banerjee herself. Other MassArt officials, including Sen’s wife, are implicated and named in the FIR. A case was filed at the Bow Bazaar Police Station. MassArt was established after Durga Puja received the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage tag in 2021. Two years later, allegations surfaced regarding irregularities linked to Sen’s dealings with the organisation, which is headed by his wife Madhuchanda Sen. The police complaint alleges that Sen used his government position to mismanage funds and misuse the UNESCO logo to sell tickets at a premium price, generating large sums under the MassArt banner. The complaint cites an alleged scam amount of almost ₹34 crore. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari previously accused Sen of sharing proceeds with former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. ED officials said they found a transfer of funds to accounts linked to Banerjee from Sen’s music company. The ED statement noted that approximately ₹30 lakh was transferred from the bank account of Octave Records, a company owned by Indranil Sen, through banking channels to Mamata Banerjee, which Sen claimed was intended as royalties.