West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas has offered to resign after the vandalism and uproar at the Salt Lake Stadium during footballer Messi’s GOAT India Tour. Learn about the case in detail…
West Bengal Sports Minister Resign: West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas resigned through his letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday. The move came after the government ordered a probe into the stampede and chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium during Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour. Biswas said that he resigned so that a fair and independent investigation could be conducted into the incident. His resignation is being considered as an indication that TMC does not want to take any risk before the assembly elections.
What happened when Messi came to Kolkata?
The spectators became angry when Messi arrived at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday. Many people could not even get a glimpse of their star footballer despite tickets costing up to Rs 15,000. Angered by this, the spectators created ruckus in the stadium like vandalism, throwing bottles and uprooting seats. It was alleged that Messi remained surrounded by VIPs and influential people, due to which the general audience could not even get a glimpse of him. The main organizer of the incident, Satadru Dutta, was arrested. This matter quickly went viral on social media and became a crisis for the image of TMC and the government.
Government action after chaos on Messi’s tour
After the incident, the government took action against several senior officials on the basis of the then investigation report. Show cause notice was given to DGP Rajeev Kumar. Notices were also issued to the Bidhannagar police chief and the principal secretary of the sports department. Deputy Commissioner of Police Anish Sarkar was suspended.
Political impact of Arup Biswas’s resignation
When Lionel Messi, one of the world’s greatest footballers, reached India for the second time, his first event was held in Kolkata. During this time, thousands of fans reached the stadium to see their favorite superstar footballer. They had also bought expensive tickets, but when Messi did not appear before them, they got angry and started vandalizing the stadium. The incident affected the reputation of TMC, especially the Mamata Banerjee government, just before the assembly elections in the state. BJP accused the government of mismanagement and made it an election issue. Now Arup Biswas’s resignation is a message that the party wants a thorough investigation into the incident and there should be no political taint.