Explained: Why Has Indian Ocean Co-Founder Susmit Sen Sued His Former Band Members

Indian Ocean is one of the most popular Indie rock band, which was formed in 1990 in New Delhi. Rahul Ram, Amit Kilam, Asheem Chakravarty and Susmit Sen were its founding members. They are credited with pioneering the fusion rock genre in India. Recently, the band has been in the headlines as Sen, a former member, and the wife of the late Asheem Chakravarty, Sunita have jointly filed a police complaint against current members Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam for non-payment of music royalties. In response, Ram and Kilam have issued a statement addressing the allegations of criminal conspiracy against them.

Amit Kilam and Rahul Ram are ‘saddened’ with complaints against them 

On August 16, Susmit Sen and Sunita Chakravarty filed a police complaint against former Indian Ocean bandmates Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam levying accusations of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, misappropriation, falsification of accounts, money laundering and embezzlement against them.

Kandisa Music Productions Pvt Ltd, the company managing the Indian Ocean band, is also named in the complaint, which was filed at Mukherjee Nagar police station in New Delhi.

In response to this, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam have released an official statement in response to a police complaint. They mentioned that they hadn’t received a copy of the complaint yet and only became aware of it through the media.

In their statement, they expressed sadness over learning from the media about the complaint filed by Sen, a former member of Indian Ocean and Sunita Chakravorty, the spouse of former member Asheem Chakravorty. Since they haven't seen the complaint, they shared that they cannot comment on its specifics of the matter.

They also highlighted that the shareholders have been engaged in a dispute before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for over a year. The case is still ongoing and remains sub-judice. They found it surprising that a police complaint has been filed concerning an issue already under consideration by the NCLT. They suggested that filing a criminal complaint on what is clearly a civil matter seems like an afterthought intended to pressure them into agreeing to illegal and unwarranted demands.

The beginnings of Indian Ocean band and its rise to fame

In 1990, reportedly, Sumit Sen's father suggested the name Indian Ocean, but it gradually lost traction. By 1994, drummer Shaleen Sharma had left the band and was replaced by a younger Amit Kilam. This new line-up, including Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram, and Amit Kilam, became the most well-known and successful in the band's history.

Years later, Asheem Chakravarty suffered a heart attack and passed away in New Delhi on 25 December 2009. This event marked a turning point for the group. In 2010, Himanshu Joshi joined the band as a replacement for Chakravarty, while Tuheen Chakravarty took over tabla and percussion duties.

Since 2010, the band has moved away from record labels due to frustrations with contract negotiations and copyright disputes. After three years, in 2013, Susmit Sen left to form his own band, Susmit Sen Chronicles, while still holding a stake in Kandisa Music Productions Pvt Ltd, which manages the band. 

With only two original members remaining, the band is faced with another controversy after Sen sued his former company, claiming he hadn’t received any payments since 2020. Despite still performing his compositions, he alleged that Ram and Kilam had ignored repeated attempts to contact them.