The inner turmoil among the Indian Ocean is hitting the surface now. Susmit Sen, the former guitarist of the iconic fusion band, has filed a police complaint against his erstwhile bandmates, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam.

The complaint levies allegations against the duo, including criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, and misappropriation, among others. Furthermore, he has also accused Rahul and Amit of financial irregularities within the band.

Legal action

According to India Today, Susmit filed a police complaint against Rahul and Amit on August 16 in Delhi. Susmit took the legal action along with Sunita Chakravarty, wife of deceased Indian Ocean co-founder Ashim Chakravarty. They have also named Kandisa Music Productions Pvt Ltd, the company that runs the Indian Ocean band, in the complaint.

In a statement Susmit addressed the dispute, stating, “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 the Indian Ocean.”

The statement added, “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”.

The police complaint has been filed, but an FIR is yet to be registered. The unpaid dues are said to be more than ₹50 lakhs each.

As per India Today, Amit Kilan denied that a complaint had been filed, stressing that it is an 'internal matter' which they aim to settle cordially.

About the band

Indian Ocean was founded by Susmit in 1990. In its first year, the band included Shaleen Sharma on the drums, and tried out three bass players: Indrajit Dutta, Anirban Roy and RC Arya.

It was in 1991 that Susmit met Rahul Ram, a former classmate of his at St Xavier's School, and persuaded him to join. In 1994, Amit Kilam signed up. And it formed the band that everyone knows now. The Delhi-based band is one of the most iconic ones to have emerged from India’s independent music scene back in the 1990s. In 2009, Asheem passed away unexpectedly, leaving his bandmates as well as his fans in shock.

They are credited for albums such as Indian Ocean (1993), Desert Rain (1997), Kandisa (2000), Jhini (2003) and 16/330 Khajoor Road (2010). The band went on to sing two songs for actor and filmmaker Aamir Khan's Peepli Live!

They also have a documentary tracing their journey. Leaving Home - the Life and Music of Indian Ocean, charts the journey of the band in its first 20 years. In 2013, Susmit decided he wanted to go solo.

Current members include Himanshu Joshi, Tuheen Chakravorty, Amit Kilam, Nikhil Rao and Rahul Ram.

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