'I Apologise': CM Mamata Banerjee As Massive Chaos Breaks Out At Salt Lake Stadium After Messi's 20-Minute Visit

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued an apology after a massive chaos broke out in Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, as people could not catch a glimpse of footballer Lionel Messi, who is on a 3-day visit to India. The footballer was in the stadium for around 20 minutes. Fans claimed that politicians surrounded the footballer in such a way that they failed to see him.

In a post on X, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “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.”

Apologising to Messi and his fans, Banerjee said, “I sincerely apologise to Lionel Messi, as well as to all sports lovers and his fans, for the unfortunate incident.”

She added, “I am constituting 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. The committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers.”

Angry fans, who had paid to see Messi, vandalised the stadium after they couldn't catch a glimpse of the footballer. Videos showed fans breaking chairs and tents in the stadium, rebelling against the poor management. As per reports, the fans were also lathi-charged for protesting at the venue.

BJP leader Amit Malviya called the incident a “huge disgrace” that will remain etched in the pages of history forever. He claimed that people were misled into purchasing tickets priced between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 and were brought to the venue. “Due to extremely poor management, Messi was not even allowed to stay for the programme and was taken away,” he added.

The BJP leader also demanded the immediate resignation of State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas.

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