Kolkata: West Bengal Assembly Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday demanded the arrest of state ministers Sujit Bose and Aroop Biswas, alleging that crores of rupees were misappropriated in connection with the Lionel Messi football event held at Salt Lake Stadium on December 13.
Adhikari visited the stadium complex to assess the damage caused during widespread spectator unrest but was unable to enter as the gates were locked.
“As a leader of the Opposition, I have a moral responsibility to protect public property. The vandalism caused by outraged spectators due to mismanagement by the organisers and the West Bengal government is inexplicable. I demand the arrest of Sujit Bose and Aroop Biswas,” he said while speaking to media.
The football event, featuring Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, witnessed chaos as fans struggled to catch a glimpse of the player, who was surrounded by VIPs and officials. Several spectators were arrested during the incident. Adhikari said the BJP will provide legal assistance to those detained and will seek to have the FIRs quashed.
Earlier, West Bengal BJP president Shamik Bhattacharya alleged that those arrested were regular ticket holders and accused the Trinamool Congress of orchestrating the fiasco.
In response to the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accepted Sports Minister Aroop Biswas’s resignation, issued show-cause notices to the DGP and senior police officers, and suspended a deputy commissioner of police over alleged mismanagement at the stadium.