{
  "id": 17047316,
  "title": "Indranil Sen sang his way to power under Trinamool, now faces music under BJP",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/indranil-sen-sang-his-way-to-power-under-trinamool-now-faces-music",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T10:39:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/indranil-sen-trinamool-mamata-banejee-bjp-suvendu-adhikari-bengal-10941912/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indranil Sen, a prominent Bengali singer who rose to power under the Trinamool Congress, now faces arrest in connection with a money laundering case. Once associated with the Left Front, Sen shifted his allegiance to the Trinamool Congress after the 2011 state elections, eventually becoming a minister in the Mamata Banerjee government. After losing his Chandannagar assembly seat in the 2026 elections to the BJP, Sen is now under arrest for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore extortion scheme centered around Durga Puja preview shows. The case centers around the Mahanirban Road Mass Art Society, a group led by Sen's wife, Madhuchhanda, which allegedly ran unauthorized commercial ticketing for popular Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata. The group allegedly used UNESCO's name and logo without authorization and claimed 26 pandals were holding preview shows, selling passes at rates ranging from Rs 1,800 to Rs 12,000. The organizers barred the general public from entering these pandals for four days, turning the festival into a profit-driven enterprise. The BJP government ordered a probe into the case shortly after coming to power, leading to Sen's arrest on Wednesday night. Sen's wife serves as the president of the MassArt Society, which is accused of exploiting the UNESCO recognition for commercial gain.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Indranil Sen, former Trinamool minister, faces arrest for money laundering",
    "Chandannagar assembly seat lost to BJP in 2026 elections",
    "Durga Puja preview scam involves unauthorized commercial ticketing"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}