Kolkata: Days after swearing-in, the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government on Monday brought down the 70-foot statue of football legend Lionel Messi
from Lake Town area in Kolkata. Asper reports, it would be shifted at a different place in the city.
Why PWD took the step?
The step was taken by the Public Works Department (PWD) after locals complaint that the massive iron-and-fiberglass statue was swinging during recent spells of high wind. This also led to public safety hazard before the monsoon season in the state.
Earlier in the day, the heavy-duty hydraulic cranes and engineering teams were brought in by the authorities who swarmed the VIP Road stretch. This was done to deconstruct the statue that stood atop a pedestrian crossing.
The giant statue, which shows Argentine superstar holding the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy, was inaugurated when Messi visited the city in December during the high anticipated visit to India. The month saw administrative lapses and violence at the stadium, minutes after Messi left the stadium.
Lake Town, West Bengal: The statue of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi at Lake Town was removed after remaining in a damaged and unstable condition for several days. The authorities finally took it down following concerns over its safety and condition pic.twitter.com/IXuios8LDE
— IANS (@ians_india) June 1, 2026
Statue created during TMC rule
Notably, the giant statue was constructed by the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club when the Trinamool Congress (TMC) was in power. It was championed by former TMC minister Sujit Bose. Since the BJP came to power, several public infrastructure projects, sports sculptures, and symbolic monuments built during the TMC era have faced scrutiny by the government. On May 23, the West Bengal government took down a football-themed sculpture, also in Kolkata.
Importantly, in the recent assembly elections, the BJP secured a landslide victory. The party won 207 seats in the seat in the 294-seat Assembly. The party ednded 15 years of rule by Mamata Banerjee’s TMC in the state.
