Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday squarely blamed the state government for the chaos that unfolded at the Yuva Bharati Stadium on Saturday, levelling serious allegations of large-scale corruption linked to the high-profile event attended by Argentine football star Lionel Messi.
Renewing his attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), Adhikari demanded the arrest of former Sports Minister Arup Biswas, who has resigned on Tuesday, and Fire Minister Sujit Bose. He alleged that corruption to the tune of ₹300 crore had taken place, claiming the money was meant to recover the expenses incurred in bringing Messi to the state for TMC's election-related campaigning ahead of the Assembly elections.
Questioning the credibility of the probe initiated by the state government, the Leader of the Opposition raised doubts over the impartiality of the inquiry committee formed under the leadership of retired Justice Asim Kumar Roy, following instructions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Although several senior officials, including Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, have been issued show-cause notices and a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted, Adhikari maintained that the investigation would not reveal the truth.
“Unless there is a committee free from the influence of the state government, the truth will not come to light,” he said.
Adhikari has already approached the Calcutta High Court over the incident, with the hearing expected to take place on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, Adhikari claimed he was obstructed when he attempted to inspect the stadium premises. He alleged that all gates of the Yuva Bharati Stadium were closed. “Even after such a major incident, the Chief Minister did not visit the spot. As the Leader of the Opposition, I came to see the situation, but we were not allowed to enter,” he said.
According to Adhikari, he had gone to examine the extent of damage caused to the stadium during Saturday’s unrest. However, he accused the state government of attempting to suppress facts and alleged that no official from the stadium’s administrative department was present, despite prior information about his visit.
The controversy stems from Saturday’s event, where Messi was present at Yuva Bharati Stadium but reportedly had to leave the field within just 23 minutes due to security concerns. It has been alleged that a heavy presence of political leaders and ministers on the field prevented spectators from getting a proper view of the football icon.
Several spectators, who had purchased tickets worth thousands of rupees, reportedly returned disappointed without seeing Messi. The situation later turned volatile, with a section of angry spectators allegedly vandalising parts of the stadium, raising serious questions over event management, security arrangements, and the alleged financial irregularities highlighted by the opposition.
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