Plaint against former tourism minister Indranil, wife

Kolkata: A city-based international travel consultant lodged a complaint against former tourism minister Indranil Sen and functionaries of Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society (MassArt) alleging they falsely claimed to be official partners of Unesco to promote Durga Puja in Bengal. MassArt functionaries denied the allegations.

The complaint was lodged with the Kolkata Police commissioner, state DGP and the Bowbazar Police Station OC.

The consultant, Jaydeep Mukherjee, said he had been promoting Durga Puja abroad since 2010 and held 66 roadshows in various countries in Europe and North and South America over a decade before Unesco inscribed Kolkata's Durga Puja as 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. "The former minister of tourism and cultural affairs, Indranil Sen, and his wife, Madhuchhanda, along with Dhruvajyoti Bose, Sayantan Maitra and Rajana Chatterjee, incorporated an organisation in the name of Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society on June 24, 2022. This organisation falsely claimed to be official partners of Unesco and cheated the common man by selling tickets for preview shows at 24 Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata," said Mukherjee, adding no Unesco delegation ever visited pandals. "This racket was supported by the former Trinamool govt. They converted the Durga Puja pandals into private zones.”

Indranil Sen dismissed any involvement of the tourism department in the initiative. "The allegations are baseless. Only those with whom the complainants dealt will be able to furnish the documents," he said. Dhruvajyoti Bose of MassArt refuted the allegations and said he had all documents to not only show the involvement of Unesco in the preview show but also that financial assistance provided to Durga Puja committees and artists.