Aroop Biswas Submits Resignation After Messi Event Chaos
CM Mamata Banerjee takes charge of sports portfolio as SIT probes Salt Lake Stadium fiasco
- Aroop Biswas offers to step down as Sports Minister to ensure impartial probe
- Mamata Banerjee temporarily takes charge of the Sports Department
- Three-member SIT of IPS officers formed; Salt Lake Stadium CEO removed
- BJP slams TMC over “global embarrassment” during Messi’s Kolkata visit
GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 16th Dec: Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas, facing mounting criticism over the chaos during football icon Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata, has offered to step aside from his role as Sports Minister to ensure an impartial investigation into the incident.
According to sources, Biswas wrote to Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday, requesting to be relieved of his responsibilities as Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Power and Non-Conventional Energy, and Housing. In his letter, Biswas referred to the events of December 13, 2025, at Vivekananda Yuva Bharti Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium), stating that since a probe committee had already been formed, stepping aside would help ensure fairness.
Sources said the resignation has not been formally accepted, but Biswas will not function as Sports Minister during the course of the inquiry. For the time being, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken charge of the Sports Department. The Chief Minister’s Office said Banerjee appreciated the “sentiment and intention” behind Biswas’s decision and endorsed the need for an impartial inquiry.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has constituted a Special Investigation Team comprising three IPS officers to probe the chaos that erupted at Salt Lake Stadium during Messi’s brief appearance as part of the G.O.A.T India tour. Senior officials, including Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Mukesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police Annesh Sarkar and Principal Secretary for Sports and Youth Affairs Rajesh Sinha, have been associated with the probe. Deb Kumar Nandan, CEO of the stadium, has been removed from his post.
The incident triggered widespread outrage among football fans, many of whom had paid hefty sums for tickets to catch a glimpse of Messi. During the football legend’s 30-minute appearance, fans complained that he remained surrounded by VIPs, including ministers and officials, leaving the crowd frustrated. Soon after Messi left, angry supporters vandalised parts of the stadium, accusing organisers and ministers—particularly Aroop Biswas—of hogging the spotlight.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the incident as deeply disturbing and apologised to Messi and his fans, saying she was “shocked by the mismanagement.” The opposition BJP, however, said the government’s response was “too little, too late.” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla termed the episode a “global embarrassment,” alleging corruption, cheating of fans and demanding legal action against those responsible, including senior leaders of the ruling party.
The probe is currently underway as political pressure continues to mount over the high-profile fiasco in what is often described as the Mecca of Indian football.
