Kolkata: Did former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen misuse the UNESCO tag to sell premium Durga Puja passes?
A police complaint has been lodged against Sen and his wife Madhuchhanda for allegedly running the racket since 2022. They have been accused of issuing Rs 4,000 preview tickets, donor passes, and misusing the UNESCO branding for a select few pandals.
The complaint has been registered with Kolkata Police by international travel consultant and Durga Puja promoter Jaydeep Mukherjee.
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, the complainant alleged.
The couple, Mass Art secretary Dhrubajyoti Bose, and vice-president Sayantan Maitra have been named in the complaint registered by Mukherjee, who describes himself as a global promoter of Durga Puja since 2010.
The four allegedly misled 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, the complaint states, as reported by India Today.
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 has alleged.
This claim was false and was used to attract visitors, sponsors and advertisers, the complainant has said.
The organisation allegedly sold preview show tickets priced at Rs 4,000 for access to 24 select Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata.
Mukherjee further claimed that these pandals were promoted as being chosen by UNESCO, despite no such endorsement existing. Ticket buyers were promised visits by UNESCO representatives and international delegations during the preview events, the complaint further claims.
“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.
The accused “cheated the common people and carried out an extortion racket in the State of West Bengal,” it has been alleged.
No UNESCO delegation ever visited the select pandals, despite such assurances allegedly being used as a selling point for tickets and sponsorship packages, Mukherjee has said.
The operation continued between 2022 and 2024 and was carried out under the protection of influential politicians, the complainant added.
He also raised 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, no financial records, audits or public documentation have been released to establish how the funds were utilised, he allegedly.
The organisation’s claims regarding the distribution of donations remain unsubstantiated, Mukherjee said. He further alleged that entry to certain pandals during preview events was limited to those who purchased tickets, while ordinary visitors were denied access.
This transformed what has traditionally been a free public celebration into an exclusive event for paying attendees, he argued.
“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 complainant has sought stringent action against the accused, alleging that they misled the public, commercially exploited a religious festival and hurt the sentiments of devotees.
Whether the allegations lead to a formal investigation or criminal proceedings will depend on the police’s examination of the complaint and supporting evidence. The police are yet to publicly comment on the allegations.
