West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigned from his post due to mounting political pressure and intense criticism over the management failure and chaos that ensued during Messi’s visit to Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium on December 13, 2025.
All hell broke loose when thousands of fans were unable to see Lionel Messi, many of whom had paid exorbitant amounts of money. The Argentine star was surrounded by politicians and VIPs, due to which many fans could not catch a glimpse of him. He left the stadium early, leaving fans frustrated, who then ran onto the ground and threw chairs and bottles.
West Bengal government issues show-cause notices
The West Bengal government had served the Director General of Police (DGP), West Bengal, Rajeev Kumar, a show-cause notice for clarification regarding the alleged mismanagement, lack of coordination with stakeholders, and private organizers.
The DGP was not the only one to receive a show-cause notice to explain the mess; a lot of high-ranking officials, including the Commissioner of Police, Bidhannagar, Mukesh Kumar, were asked to explain the role of Bidhannagar police in managing the event. Another one to receive a show-cause notice was the Principal Secretary of the Youth Affairs and Sports Department, Rajesh Kumar Sinha.
West Bengal Government blamed for mismanagement
Following the chaotic event, the West Bengal government received immense criticism. The opposition parties demanded accountability and called for resignations that go beyond the sports minister, whom they accused of lapses in security planning, poor crowd control, and prioritizing VIP access over genuine fans.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is formed to probe into the incident. The SIT includes IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar, and Muralidhar.
The scenes at Kolkata’s Messi event have started a political drama, an inspection of administrative failures, and the resignation of Aroop Biswas.
