Kolkata, May 11, 2026
Organiser Satadru Dutta has launched a scathing attack on the then West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas and the handling of security during Lionel Messi’s controversial Kolkata appearance, alleging protocol violations, political interference, and a one-sided investigation into the chaos that followed the event.
Nearly six months after the incident, Dutta claimed the event had a tightly-controlled “show flow” approved by police and security authorities, but alleged that unauthorised intervention by political figures disrupted the programme and ultimately led to crowd unrest.
“The most byword reason is obviously, an immature sports minister doesn’t know what his responsibility is, he played with the emotions of the state, emotions of the fan, and obviously, I became the victim of it,” Dutta alleged while speaking to IANS. “He forgot that any action can jeopardise the event, he did it, the first thing he did was, he used his political clout to make sure that he can, you know, he can have his own will, you know, own way of doing this event,” he added.
Dutta maintained that Biswas was never officially authorised to be part of the programme around Messi.
“He was not part of the show flow. I have the show flow. I can show you the show flow, and I can share the show flow that was officially emailed to the police,” he said.
Questioning the minister’s presence during the event, Dutta added, “Have you seen any other minister in any other city where the event happened? Leaving the chief minister and that, and people who you know were part of the show, which we discussed, they are only there. Aroop Biswas was not part of the show flow.”
The organiser further alleged that the minister breached personal interaction protocols with Messi and made the football icon uncomfortable during the appearance.
“Absolutely, you know, he is, you have to understand, in Latin protocols, in Latin culture, unless you ask anybody, you can’t touch him. They call it a bad touch,” Dutta claimed.
“First thing he did was, you know, he touched his waist, he touched his shoulder. Don’t forget he’s Lionel Messi. And the first interaction, it shouldn’t be like this. It should be a handshake,” he added.
According to Dutta, Messi remained calm despite the situation unfolding around him. “Leo, being a good guy, kept quiet. But then he was not leaving. He was calling his people, you know, this minister was calling his family members, calling his bureaucrat friends, taking photos, and he could have, you know, that was not part of the show flow. So he was feeling, you know, uneasy,” Dutta alleged.
Dutta said he repeatedly objected to the situation during the live programme and claimed even senior police officials attempted to intervene. “I told him there are video footage. It was shown live in Durashtra and Soni leaf. I told him, please, why are you calling people to take photos? To be very honest, CP also told him, sir, apni baar mathe ke baroon. The CP said this,” Dutta claimed.
The organiser alleged that the security breakdown extended far beyond one individual and blamed authorities for allowing unauthorised people into restricted zones around Messi.
“The show floor didn’t have him, so where he came in, you know, only he can tell why he came in and why the police allowed it. When I entered the stadium with Messi, I saw so many unsolicited, you know, people. You know, security people were not part of the plan,” he added.
Dutta also made sensational claims regarding the police reaction after his arrest in the aftermath of the controversy. “When the police came, they came to the aircraft to arrest me, and they got furious. They were saying, ‘You know, why are you arresting him? What has this guy done? Arrest that minister,” he alleged.
The organiser further claimed he had been unfairly singled out while others present during the incident escaped scrutiny. “Absolutely, I am the scapegoat. You tell me, if there is a security breach, if somebody, an immature minister, does an immature act and hijacks my event, then what can an event organiser do?” Dutta said.
“I have not done any scam. I got Messi. I committed Messi, I got Messi on the ground. If I am not capable, how could I have done Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi so fluently?” he added.
Calling for a fresh probe, Dutta questioned the credibility of the earlier investigation into the incident. “But the previous investigation, the seat, was a farce. I’ll tell you why, because the CP, who was show-caused, was part of the SIT. And in that SIT, nobody called Aroop Biswas or anyone,” he alleged.
“There are so many people on the ground. It is in the public domain. The CCTV footage from both gates could easily tell you who was on the ground. They should have been called, right? Why only me? Why only, you know, a one-way investigation?” he asked.
The Messi event controversy had triggered widespread political debate in West Bengal after crowd unrest, alleged security lapses, and protocol violations overshadowed one of the biggest football spectacles hosted in the state in recent years.(Agency)
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