Messi Fiasco; Government And Opposition Tries To Label The Logical Equivalence.

Kolkata; December 2025: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday pulled up the state government for the chaos and vandalism at Lionel Messi’s event at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, saying that the CEO of Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) tried to hide the truth.

Bose faced obstruction when he attempted to enter the stadium, with the gates closed and the lights switched off. Deb Kumar Nandan, CEO, Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), WBCS (Exe) (Retd.) was withdrawn with immediate effect after the Messi event chaos.

While speaking with press reporters, Bose said, “This is very necessary because, as governor, when I went there, the CEO showed that the gates were closed for the governor, and the lights were switched off. Not only was there a total mismanagement of the event, but there was also an attempt to hide the truth”. The Governor welcomed the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident, saying people have the right to know the truth. He also supported the state government’s decision to issue show cause notices to senior officials, including DGP Rajeev Kumar and CP Mukesh Kumar, holding them accountable for the mismanagement.

The chief organiser, Satadru Dutta, has been arrested, and his accounts frozen. The government has also approved refunds for ticket holders. “That is a step in the right direction. People have the right to know the truth. I hope the SIT will be able to bring out the truth to the public“, said Bose.

In the meantime, West Bengal Government have issued a show cause notice to Rajeev Kumar, DGP, West Bengal, Mukesh Kumar, CP, Bidhannagar, and Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Principal Secretary, Youth Affairs & Sports Department.

Bose revealed that he had made 14 recommendations to the government, with action taken on five, including arresting the chief organiser, freezing their accounts, and refunding ticket amounts. He stressed that those responsible for the fiasco should be held accountable. “Those responsible for the fiasco should all be held accountable This was brought to the government’s notice accountable. This was brought to the government s notice yesterday itself. First, a judicial inquiry is required. The state

government has engaged a retired judge in an investigation. The other suggestion was that the organisers had to be arrested. The chief organiser has been arrested, and others are to be arrested as well. The third was to refund the ticket amount paid by the common man. The government has also approved that. Another thing is to freeze the account of the main organiser. Out of the 14 recommendations have been given to the government, and action has been taken on 05 of them“. said the West Bengal Governor.

In the fallout, Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigned, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accepted it. The state government has constituted an SIT comprising IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and Muralidhar to conduct a thorough investigation.

Amid sharp political sparring over the chaos that marred football icon Lionel Messi’s event in Kolkata, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday defended the West Bengal government, asserting that the state administration acted swiftly and responsibly compared to similar incidents elsewhere in the country.

He criticised the BJP’s handling of past incidents, pointing out the Kumbh Mela tragedy and the New Delhi railway station stampede, where many lives were lost. In contrast, he praised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s swift response to the chaos at Lionel Messi’s event at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, where the CM apologised within an hour and initiated action against those responsible.

Reacting to the disorder at Salt Lake Stadium during Messi’s GOAT India Tour appearance, Banerjee said, “So many people were killed at the Kumbh Mela during this government’s rule and the New Delhi railway station stampede. Within an hour of the incident in Bengal, the Chief Minister apologised… Action is being taken against everyone. That is why the BJP loses, and the Trinamool defeats them“.

Abhishek Banerjee’s remarks came after Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigned, taking moral responsibility for mismanagement during the high-profile event. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accepted his resignation. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has assumed charge of the state’s sports ministry following the resignation of cabinet minister Aroop Biswas, who stepped down amid a probe into the chaos that erupted during Lionel Messi’s appearance at a Kolkata stadium.

Accepting her minister’s resignation, an official statement from the CM said, “Until and unless the impartial inquiry is over, the Sports Department will be looked after by me for the time being“.

Team Maverick.