Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 17 : Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, along with BJP workers, on Wednesday staged a protest against the state government, alleging mismanagement during football star Lionel Messi's event at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
Addressing the protest, Adhikari said the protest would continue and added that the BJP has also moved the court in the matter. "Protest will also go on, and we also have an appeal filed in the court for tomorrow. He (Aroop Biswas) should be taken into custody; he is completely responsible."
Adhikari further demanded that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should resign.
Earlier today, BJP MP Shashank Mani criticised West Bengal CM over the chaos and vandalism at Lionel Messi's event.
Speaking to ANI, he said that the chaos reflects the total ignorance of the state government, further underlining that the party people will condemn such anarchy.
"The chaos caused by Messi's arrival stems from the state government's ignorance. Under her (CM Mamata Banerjee) leadership, they organised an event that led to a stampede. Mamata Banerjee should understand that Bengal won't run on this kind of anarchy, and if such anarchy occurs, our people will condemn it," he said.
The controversy erupted after Messi's Kolkata appearance, the first stop of the GOAT India Tour 2025, descended into chaos, with fans alleging that VIPs and politicians crowded the pitch, preventing spectators from getting a clear view of the football icon. Angry fans vandalised parts of the stadium, accusing organisers of poor planning and mismanagement.
In the fallout, Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigned, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accepted it. The state government has constituted an SIT comprising IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and Muralidhar to conduct a thorough investigation.
Messi later completed the remaining legs of his India tour, visiting Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, before departing from Jamnagar after a stop at the Vantara animal sanctuary.