Through the 1990s, Indranil Sen rose to become a leading singer in the Bengali music industry. Once seen as close to the Left Front, Sen crooned his way to power, rising rapidly under the Trinamool Congress to become a minister. After the change of guard in Bengal, Sen is facing the music.

In dramatic scenes on Wednesday evening, officers of Kolkata Police arrested 61-year-old Sen, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, Information, and Cultural Affairs in the previous Mamata Banerjee government, shortly after officers of the Enforcement Directorate questioned him in a money laundering case. Sen was arrested in connection with a June 8 complaint alleging a multi-crore extortion scheme centered around Durga Puja ‘preview shows’.

The rise of Indranil Sen

Indranil Sen’s public life has spanned his musical career, a political leap, and an administrative role before the tables turned on him.…