Messi Event Fiasco: Governor Blames Mamata, Says He'll Report To Centre, 5 Arrested So Far

Kolkata: Days after the much-hyped Lionel Messi event at the Salt Lake Stadium has turned into a major fiasco, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has squarely blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, holding her accountable for the breakdown, citing “systemic and police failure.”

He also confirmed that a detailed report, naming the Chief Minister, will be sent to the central government. Calling December 13 a “dark chapter for sports lovers,” the Governor said the disaster could have been prevented. Since Mamata Banerjee also holds the Home portfolio, Bose said responsibility for the police’s inaction ultimately rests with her.

Speaking to reporters at Lok Bhavan on Monday, Governor Bose said the event exposed glaring lapses in planning, crowd control, and law enforcement. “There was a failure of management and the system. The stadium is public property and it was vandalized. Officers on duty failed in their responsibility. Action must be taken,” he said.

The Governor expressed shock that no clear rules or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were in place for an event of such magnitude. After inspecting the vandalised stadium on Sunday, Bose reiterated that he would submit a report to the Centre along with 12 major recommendations, including a full judicial inquiry, immediate arrest of all key organisers, refund of ticket money to the public, seizure of the organiser’s bank accounts, recovery of compensation for damage to public property, mandatory SOPs for large events, crowd monitoring via AI, drones, and control rooms, insurance coverage for spectators at the organiser’s cost and deployment of adequate Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel.

“One arrest is just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone involved must be brought to book,” Bose said. Sports minister Aroop Biswas was present at the event, and demands have surfaced to include him in the probe.

The Governor said he would first inform “constitutional authorities” before making any public comment on this aspect. The Bidhannagar Commissionerate has so far arrested five people who are Shatadru Dutta (main organiser), Shubhra Pratim Dey, Gaurav Basu, Basudeb Das, Sanjay Das and Abhijit Das. Police have also summoned six more individuals from different departments for questioning.

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