Chaos at Salt Lake Stadium During Messi Visit, Mamata Banerjee Apologises and Orders Enquiry

By A Staff Reporter

A day meant to celebrate football legend Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata descended into chaos on Saturday as alleged mismanagement, limited access and crowd frustration led to vandalism at the Salt Lake Stadium, prompting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to issue a public apology and order a high-level enquiry.

Taking to social media, CM Banerjee said she was “deeply disturbed and shocked” by the mismanagement witnessed at the Yubha Bharati Krirangan, where thousands of football fans had gathered to catch a glimpse of the Argentine superstar during the first leg of his GOAT India Tour. The Chief Minister said she was on her way to the stadium when reports of disorder began to emerge.

“I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident,” Banerjee said, adding that such lapses were unacceptable during an event of international importance.

According to officials and eyewitnesses, a section of the crowd grew angry over high ticket prices and restricted access to Messi, whose appearance at the venue was reportedly cut short. The situation escalated as some fans hurled bottles and chairs and vandalised stadium property after failing to get a proper view of the football icon. With tensions rising, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to bring the situation under control.

In response to the incident, the Chief Minister announced the constitution of an enquiry committee headed by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray. The panel will include the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home and Hill Affairs Department. The committee has been tasked with conducting a detailed investigation, fixing responsibility and recommending measures to prevent such incidents in the future.