Co-founder of Indian Ocean Susmit Sen files complaint against Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam

Things might never be the same for Indian Ocean fans as a former member and co-founder, along with the widow of another co-founder of the indie rock fusion band have filed police complaints against other band membersfor royalty. Composer-guitarist Susmit Sen along with Sunita Chakravarty, wife of band co-founder Ashim Chakravarty, have filed a police complaint against two current members of the band, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam over non-payment of dues since 2020-21.

The police complaint has been filed at Mukherjee Nagar police station in New Delhi.

Criminal cases against Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam of the Indian Ocean band

Susmit Sen and Sunita Chakravarty have lodged criminal charges against Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam, and also against Kandisa Music Productions Pvt Ltd, the company that runs the Indian Ocean band.

Both Amit Kilam and Rahul Ram have been accused of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, misappropriation, falsification of accounts, money laundering, and embezzlement, among others. The charges have been made under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

Susmit and Sunita, in their police complaint, stated that they haven’t been paid royalties/dues by the Indian Ocean since 2020, while Sunita Chakravarty hasn’t been paid royalties/dues since 2021. They said they have been deprived of due royalty payments totalling more than half a crore rupees (INR) per head, as calculated two years ago.

While Susmit Sen left the rock band Indian Ocean in 2013, he continues to remain a shareholder in Kandisa Music Productions Pvt Ltd, which runs the band. He now resides in Goa and runs a separate band called Susmit Sen Chronicles, which he started in 2011.

Susmit Sen on filing police complaint over non-payment of royalty

Upset with how things have transpired between the former bandmates, Susmit Sen told WION, “Having founded the band with Ashim [Chakravarty], it gives me no pleasure to take police action against it today. In fact, it was my father [Ajit Kumar Sen] who had named the band that I formed with Ashim in 1990, and I am still a shareholder at the company [Kandisa Music Productions Pvt Ltd] that runs the band. I had handpicked the two members of this band back then, against whom I have been compelled by circumstances to take police action. What I have had to go through is really unfortunate, given that me and Ashim had founded the band, and I was its composer and lead guitarist. It is needless to say I was an integral member of Indian Ocean.”

“As we have stated in the police complaint, we believe they have committed criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, fraud against the Registrar of Companies (RoC), fraud against the authorities, and mismanagement, among other offences. I haven’t been paid my royalties at all since 2020. I also discovered that I was being underpaid since a couple of years after leaving the band in 2013, " he added.

Ashim Chakravarty's widow demands justice

Sunita lives in New Delhi. Her husband Ashim Chakravarty, a member of Indian Ocean died in December 2009 following complications from a cardiac arrest he suffered earlier that year.

One of the oldest fusion bands in India, the Indian Ocean continues to play songs at live shows. The band’s current line-up includes vocalist Himanshu Joshi, lead guitarist Nikhil Rao and a few others, apart from old hands Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam.

WION has contacted Amit Kilam and Rahul Ram on the complaint filed against them. We are yet to hear from them on the case.