A new detail related to Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium chaos claimed that former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly had tried to stop football legend Lionel Messi from leaving the field, but Messi's team denied the request.
An ABP Ananda report suggested that Sourav Ganguly had requested Messi to stay for a while, so that the people who came to the field could see him.
However, Messi's team was not willing to compromise on security, the report added.
"It was heard that despite Sourav's request, Messi decided to leave the field. It was also heard that entrepreneur Satdru Dutta also requested Messi. Some of the administration were also present at that time. But Messi's team did not agree to take the risk, considering the law and order situation," the report claimed.
Kolkata Salt Lake Stadium chaos
What was meant to be a celebratory event around Lionel Messi descended into chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
The situation spiralled as spectators resorted to vandalism after the paying public failed to catch a glimpse of the football icon. They alleged gross mismanagement by the organisers and obstruction of views by VIPs.
About 50,000 spectators, many of whom had paid ₹4,000 to ₹12,000 -- and in some cases up to ₹20,000 in the black market -- watched helplessly as a swarm of politicians, VVIPs and security personnel formed a human blockade around Messi, ensuring that the public saw everything except Messi.
The unrest broke out soon after Messi left the venue, much earlier than scheduled, triggering scenes of spectators uprooting plastic chairs, hurling bottles onto the pitch, and attempting to breach the barricades.
Some people, including police personnel, were reported injured, though no fatalities occurred, news agency PTI reported.
Police arrested the event’s prime organiser, Satadru Datta, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the constitution of a high-level inquiry committee to probe the incident.
Messi's much-hyped visit to the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday lasted 22 minutes.
Messi's second visit to Kolkata – part of a four-city India tour with Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi to follow – had come against the backdrop of the Indian football team's alarming slide to 142nd in the latest FIFA rankings, its lowest since October 2016.
CM Mamata Banerjee 'deeply shocked'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was " deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium."
The CM said in a post on X, "I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident."
She informed that she is “constituting an enquiry committee under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hill Affairs Department, as members.”
"The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future," Banerjee added.
"Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers," Banerjee said.
