Bengal Guv ‘denied’ entry into Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium after Messi event fiasco
Bose described the denial of entry on Saturday evening as an affront to the constitutional position of the governor and sought a response from the authorities.
“I never write a report without seeing the ground… My report is half-ready. I want to see what happened at Ground Zero with my own eyes,” he told reporters outside the stadium.
“Is this how he treats the governor of West Bengal? The governor is not a stigma,” Bose said, terming the incident as “appalling indifference on the part of a constitutional authority”.
Bose said he will visit the stadium again on Sunday and look into the issue in depth.
“This is not a personal insult… It is an insult to the constitutional position of the governor. If the truth can be hidden from the governor, maybe this is just the tip of the iceberg. I will definitely investigate this to the end and reveal the truth,” he said.
The governor said police had already launched an investigation and their report would reflect “the perspective of the people affected.” Chaos ensued at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday after spectators resorted to vandalism because they could not see Messi, claiming gross mismanagement by the organizers and obstructing the view of VIPs.
While the police arrested the main organizer of the event, Satadru Datta, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced the formation of a high-level inquiry committee to probe the incident.
Bose had earlier called the incident at the Salt Lake Stadium a “dark day for the sports-loving people of Kolkata”.
He had directed the state government to arrest the organizer of the event, holding them directly responsible for the chaos and also accusing the police of failing the government, the people and the chief minister.
According to a Lok Bhavan official, the governor was particularly disturbed to learn that the CM, who was scheduled to meet Messi, had to turn back midway due to confusion.
Bose had demanded an immediate investigation, refund to ticket holders, compensation for damage caused to the stadium and public property, suspension of police officers who failed to take preventive measures and creation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) framework for such major events.
He also ordered the arrest of the organizer on attempted murder charges and questioned “how Messi has been turned into a commodity.”
