West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas resigned on Tuesday, December 16 following the debacle at Lionel Messi’s match in Kolkata on December 13.
In a handwritten letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Biswas, who has faced much of the criticism for the chaos, said he was stepping down to ensure a free and fair investigation into the incident.
The Argentine football star was scheduled to play an exhibition match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata; However, Messi was escorted out of the stadium as the situation turned chaotic shortly after his arrival. Fans were upset over the cancellation of the event and vandalised the stadium.
Satadru Datta, the organiser who arranged the exhibition match, was arrested on December 13. He was sent to 14 day judicial custody on December 14.
Datta was arrested by the Bidhannagar Police on Saturday for “mismanagement” of the event from the Kolkata airport, where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
What was billed as a marquee sporting spectacle unravelled into disorder as thousands of spectators protested after being unable to get a clear glimpse of Messi, triggering vandalism inside the stadium.
The widespread chaos at the venue prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Organiser arrested, FIR lodged
In the aftermath of the incident, the police arrested the main organiser of the event on charges of mismanagement and public disorder, and an FIR was lodged.
