Kolkata: The police on Saturday arrested Satadru Datta, the prime organiser of the Lionel Messi football event at Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata. The development came hours after widespread chaos at the venue. which prompted the Argentine World Cup-winning captain to leave the field early.
Earlier, Datta was detained for alleged mismanagement of the event from the Kolkata airport where he had gone to see off Messi and his entourage on their way to Hyderabad.
Chaos At Salt Lake Stadium:
"We are looking into whether there was any mismanagement from the organiser's side, which led to the chaos at the stadium. He has been detained, and the police have now brought the situation under control," West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar said.
After Messi left the stadium, angry fans also reportedly resorted to vandalism, alleging poor event management.
Mamata Banerjee Apologised To Messi:
After the chaos, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to the football star."I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium. I was on my way to the stadium to attend the event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite footballer, Lionel Messi. I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident," Banerjee said.
Banerjee ordered to constitute 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 to a detailed enquiry into the incident and fix responsibility.
BJP's Reaction:
Soon the entire incident snowballed into a political controversy. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the ruling Mamata Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the chaos during the event.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called it an "embarrassment" on an international stage. He alleged that the football star was surrounded by TMC leaders and fans were not allowed.
BJP's Sukanta Majumdar also slammed the West Bengal Chief Minister.
“The tenure of the failed Chief Minister @MamataOfficial, has become synonymous with administrative collapse and pervasive chaos. The Trinamool Congress, in turn, has come to embody arrogance, lawlessness, and the politics of brute force,” Majumdar said.
Messi arrived in the City of Joy early on Saturday morning. He received overwhelming reception from fans.He will reach Hyderabad later in the day and will travel to Mumbai on Sunday for a high-profile.
