Chaos During Messi’s Kolkata Visit Linked to Inadequate Supervision, Committee Says

December 16, 2025

Kolkata: The committee constituted by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to investigate the serious lapses that occurred at the Salt Lake Stadium during Lionel Messi’s recent event said on Tuesday that a lack of proper supervision was the main reason for the entire incident.

Committee’s Initial Finding: Lack of Supervision

The inquiry committee, headed by Justice Asim Kumar Roy (retired), inspected various areas of the field and galleries of the Yuva Bharati Krirangan stadium over the past two days.

On Tuesday morning, Justice Roy briefed the press on the progress of the investigation. He said they were trying to ascertain who was responsible on the day of Messi’s event. Along with this, a suggestion was also made to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.

Trouble at Messi’s event: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s inquiry committee cited lack of supervision as the main reason.

Messi Event Chaos:

Obstructions and Irregularities on the Field

Justice Roy said, “The question arises, how did food and water bottles reach the field? As far as I know, water bottles are not allowed on the field. Yet, several broken chairs, broken gates, and bottles of water and soft drinks were found on the field. We learned during our inquiry that stalls were set up inside the stadium. However, everything is still under investigation. Initially, we feel that those responsible on that day should have been more vigilant. Therefore, we have asked the government to take departmental action against them.”

Responsibility of Police and Sports Department

According to the committee members, the police and the sports department were responsible for supervising Messi’s Kolkata visit and they cannot shirk their responsibility.

The inquiry committee constituted by the Chief Minister has requested the concerned authorities to submit a detailed report within 24 hours. This report seeks information on who in the police or sports department was responsible on that day and what plans were made in advance regarding the visit.

Recommendation for SIT Formation

The retired judge said that a recommendation has been made to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the entire matter. The government will officially decide on the formation of the SIT, but it has been suggested that senior police officers be included. According to sources, since the incident occurred in Bidhannagar and the Bidhannagar police are investigating the case, an SIT (Special Investigation Team) is being formed to ensure that there are no questions raised about the fairness and transparency of the investigation.

Detailed Inspection and Further Investigation

Justice Roy further stated that during the inspection of the stadium, it was observed that the chairs could be easily thrown or that the screws were loose. In addition, an investigation will be conducted to determine how food and water bottles made their way into the stadium despite the regulations.

He said, “A thorough investigation is necessary to understand all of this. This is the job of the police. Furthermore, we often see police officers in the galleries, and they intervene whenever there is any trouble. It is unclear why this did not happen on that day. We cannot blame anyone without concrete evidence. We are investigating everything. Everything will become clear after the report is submitted.”