- Police complaint filed against ex-minister Aroop Biswas and others over Messi tour chaos in Kolkata
- Organiser Satadru Dutta alleges security lapses and threats linked to access card issuance
- Messi tour organisers ordered to refund disappointed fans who paid high ticket prices
Reopening the probe into the chaos witnessed during the Kolkata leg of footballer Lionel Messi's GOAT India tour last year, a police complaint has been filed against ex-sports minister and Trinamool Congress leader Aroop Biswas, former cop Rajeev Kumar and IAS officer Santanu Basu.
The complaint, filed by tour organiser Satadru Dutta, alleges unlawful intrusion into restricted security zones, collapse of perimeter discipline, and endangerment of Messi at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium. It states that all statutory permissions, police clearances and operational approvals were obtained for the event. He alleged threats from Biswas regarding the issuance of access cards.
"Even after I refused to provide the access cards, people still managed to enter the venue. How did they get in? I have filed a complaint. I will file a lawsuit seeking damages amounting to Rs 50 crore and I will file a separate defamation suit. They made a scapegoat out of me," he told ANI.
In the complaint, Dutta claimed he had raised concerns ahead of the event about possible unauthorised access during meetings with senior police officials, including with Kumar. It was this access that led to disruption of the event and vandalism inside the stadium, per the complaint.
Dutta also alleged that he was threatened to not implicate Biswas or any associated persons in the probe into the chaos. He added that though he mustered the courage to file a complaint when the incident occurred, he is filing another complaint to reopen the probe into the matter after a change in guard in West Bengal.
Thousands of fans who wanted to catch a glimpse of Lionel Messi in Kolkata were left disappointed in December last year, could not see the Argentine legend, who was surrounded by VIPs and politicians on the ground. Chaos ensued as frustrated fans, who paid as much as Rs 14,000 for the tickets, began throwing bottles and attempting to break the gates between the stands. This forced the football icon to leave the Salt Lake Stadium barely minutes after he entered the venue.
Angry fans enter the ground to vandalise the tent and the goalpost, prompting the police personnel to use mild force to disperse the angry crowd from the ground. Dutta had been detained following the chaos.
The newly-inducted state sports minister under the BJP government Nishith Pramanik said on Tuesday that he has formally requested the files pertaining to the Messi incident. "It has not even been 10 days since we took the oath as ministers. Yet, our objective from the very outset has been to restore the dignity of all those who were deceived in the "Messi fiasco" - specifically those who were humiliated and mistreated while attending the match. A decision has already been taken to reopen the file regarding the Messi incident; furthermore, the culprits behind this episode will be identified and brought to justice," he said.
Pramanik also said that the Messi GOAT Tour organisers had been directed to issue refunds to the fans who had come to see the footballer.
