'Ugly, Grotesque' Mamata-Era Football Sculpture Outside Salt Lake Stadium Razed By New BJP Govt

Kolkata: The controversial football-themed structure outside the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata was taken down on Saturday morning by the new BJP-led government in West Bengal. Notably, the structure had been conceptualised and designed by former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee.

The structure, installed in 2017 near the VVIP gate of the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, was a headless statue featuring a footballer's legs merging into a ball bearing the logo of ‘Biswa Bangla’.

Earlier this month, West Bengal Sports Minister Nisith Pramanik called the structure “ugly” and announced that it will be taken down.

Speaking after the Indian Super League Kolkata derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC on May 17, Pramanik said, “Such an ugly-looking statue, two legs cut at torso and football above it does not make sense. It does not look aesthetically pleasing either, so we will not keep such a grotesque structure that has no meaning, and it will be taken down.”

After the structure was taken down today (May 23), several BJP leaders hailed the move, with Keya Ghosh saying, “Remember this abomination in front of Salt Lake stadium? Now it has been removed as promised.”

Meanwhile, a netizen said, “Good riddance. That was one of the ugliest public installations in Kolkata and had nothing authentically Bengali about it.”

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