Lionel Messi Kolkata Visit: There was huge chaos in Lionel Messi’s Kolkata visit. Even after buying tickets worth Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, the fans got angry when they did not get a glimpse of Messi. Police also took action and the organizer has been arrested.
Lionel Messi Kolkata Event Police Action: The most awaited GOAT tour of Argentina’s legendary footballer Lionel Messi turned into a big shock for the fans of Kolkata on Saturday. Thousands of fans who reached Salt Lake Stadium did not get even a glimpse of their favorite footballer, for which they had bought tickets ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000. The situation became so bad that Messi had to be taken out of the stadium in just 20 minutes and the entire program remained incomplete.
What happened in the stadium of Kolkata, how did the atmosphere deteriorate?
Lionel Messi reached the stadium at around 11:15 in the morning. The plan was that 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Messi would take a full circle of the stadium and greet the fans. But as soon as Messi came out of the tunnel, chaos started. Due to heavy security cordon, presence of VIP guests and organizers, the fans sitting in the stands could not see Messi properly. Angry spectators started throwing chairs and bottles. Some people also entered inside the field and damaged the canopy installed. Seeing the situation going out of control, the security agencies immediately removed Messi from there.
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Shahrukh Khan, Sourav Ganguly and Mamata Banerjee also could not come on stage.
Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were said to be attending this special event. But as the program ended midway, none of them could be present on the stage. This further increased the anger of the fans, because big names were mentioned in the promotion.
Fans got angry, police charged
Speaking to ANI, many fans described the event as an insult. One fan even said, ‘He came only for 10 minutes.’ There were leaders and ministers everywhere. No kicks, no penalties, no nothing. Even after paying so much money, nothing was seen. Many people alleged that due to the VIP culture, the general audience was completely ignored. After the ruckus and attempts at sabotage, the police and Rapid Action Force had to use mild force. The crowd was evacuated from the stadium and the situation was controlled.
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Mamta Banerjee apologized, ordered investigation
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief over the incident and publicly apologized. She wrote on Apologizing to Lionel Messi and his fans, he announced the formation of an investigation committee under the chairmanship of retired Justice Ashish Kumar Ray. This committee will also include the Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department, which will decide the responsibility and suggest measures to prevent such incidents in future.
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Event organizer arrested, FIR registered
Taking major action in this whole matter, the main organizer of GOAT Tour, Satadru Dutta, has been arrested. ADG (Law & Order) Javed Shamim confirmed that an FIR has been registered and the organizer has been detained. According to the police, the organizers are talking about refunding the ticket money, but a decision is yet to be taken on how and when this will happen.
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