Kolkata: Former West Bengal minister Indranil Sen on Wednesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its Salt Lake office in Kolkata. He is being questioned in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of civic volunteers in Murshidabad district.
Sen, a former minister of state for information and cultural affairs and tourism in the previous Mamata Banerjee government, reached the ED office at around 11 a.m. and was subsequently questioned by the agency. Sources said the interrogation could continue for several hours.
The ED had summoned Sen earlier this week, asking him to appear with documents relating to financial transactions and bank accounts of all his entities for the past 10 years.
According to agency sources, investigators have found preliminary information suggesting Sen’s links with alleged irregularities in civic volunteer recruitment in Murshidabad, where he had served as the Trinamool Congress’s district observer too.
The questioning comes amid a wider ED probe involving Sen. Last month, the agency questioned him in a money-laundering case linked to Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society (massArt), an organisation associated with Sen and his wife, Madhuchhanda Sen.
The agency is examining allegations that massArt organised Durga Puja “preview shows” and sold passes while allegedly projecting itself as a UNESCO-linked or sponsored entity. The ED has also been probing the flow and utilisation of funds collected through the events. Sen has denied the allegations.
The ED had conducted searches at 15 premises linked to Sen, his wife and associates in September as part of the PMLA investigation. The agency has said it is examining financial transactions and documents to trace the movement of funds.
Meanwhile, a judicial inquiry commission set up by the West Bengal government to examine alleged institutional corruption during the previous Trinamool Congress regime has also initiated a probe involving Sen.
The panel is examining alleged irregularities in the tendering process of the Information and Cultural Affairs Department during Sen’s tenure as minister of state. It is also looking into contracts awarded for the “Moder Gorob Bangla” project, which was launched during his tenure.
The allegations remain under investigation and remain unproven.
(IANS)
