The Calcutta high court on Wednesday provided interim relief to former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas, protecting him from coercive police action in connection with the disorder that marked Lionel
Messi’s visit to Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on December 13.
Hearing the matter, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya remarked on the embarrassment caused by the incident. “Every resident of Kolkata felt ashamed because of the fiasco. The events were conducted smoothly in other metro cities.”
The court also took exception to photographs showing Biswas in proximity to the Argentine football icon. “He (Biswas) is putting his hand around Messi’s waist. How can he do this? Is he Messi’s childhood friend? Does it not breach the security?” the bench said.
Messi’s appearance at the stadium in Bidhannagar, part of the “GOAT (Greatest of All Time) Tour”, had drawn nearly 50,000 spectators. Many fans, who paid between ₹4,500 and ₹18,000 for tickets, complained that they were unable to properly view the football star as VIPs and celebrities, including Biswas, had surrounded him.
The multi-city tour, which included promotional events in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, had begun with Messi virtually unveiling a 70-foot statue of himself due to security concerns. He later travelled to the Salt Lake Stadium, where supporters had been waiting since around 4 am.
Within hours of the controversy, Satadru Dutta, the private organiser of Messi’s West Bengal visit, was arrested.
Following the BJP’s victory in the Assembly election, Dutta lodged a complaint against Biswas on May 18. In his allegations, he claimed that the then sports and youth affairs minister had forcibly acquired over 22,000 complimentary tickets, accreditation cards and proximity cards, which were subsequently distributed for monetary gain.
Based on the complaint, Bidhannagar police registered an FIR and issued two summonses to Biswas for questioning.
After failing to appear on both occasions, Biswas approached the high court seeking the quashing of the FIR.
“The investigation will continue. The petitioner (Biswas) will cooperate with the police and will deposit his passport at the lower court,” the bench said.
The court further instructed the Bidhannagar police commissioner to carry out an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the event and the alleged security breaches during the programme.
