Messi Event Fiasco: Show Cause Issued to DGP, CP; Seeks Clarification Within 24 Hrs

Kolkata: The West Bengal Government has issued a show cause notice to Rajeev Kumar, the state’s Director General of Police (DGP); Mukesh Kumar, CP, Bidhannagar; Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Principal Secretary, Youth Affairs & Sports Department in connection to the chaos that erupted at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata during Lionel Messi's GOAT India tour.

According to a statement by the Bengal Government, “Shri Rajeev Kumar, DGP, West Bengal has been served show-cause notice to clarify within 24 hours of communication on why such mismanagement and lapses happened in the Stadium on that day and why proper coordination with concerned stakeholders, including the private organizer, was not carried out so as to ensure smooth conduct of the event.”

“Shri Mukesh Kumar, CP, Bidhannagar is also show-caused and clarification sought within 24 hours about the role and conduct of Bidhannagar Commissionerate in the management of the event at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Salt Lake,” it added.

On the other hand, departmental proceedings have also been initiated against Aneesh Sarkar (IPS), DCP for his reported negligence in his duties and responsibilities on the day of the event and he is hereby placed under suspension till the completion of the enquiry.

Services of Deb Kumar Nandan, WBCS (Exe) (Retd.), CEO of Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) have also been withdrawn with immediate effect for his role in mismanagement and the lapses in proper conduct of the event, says the state govt.

Further, Rajesh Kumar Sinha, Principal Secretary, Youth Affairs & Sports Department is show-caused and asked to submit clarification on why the mismanagement and lapses happened on the day of the event in the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), read the statement.

On the other hand, a Special Investigation Team comprising IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and   Muralidhar has been constituted to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

It may be mentioned that, fans’ excitement to see football icon Lionel Messi as he visited the city as part of his GOAT turned into frustration due to poor management at the venue in Salt Lake. Following the incident, two public interest litigations (PILs) were filed at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday regarding the lapses in management at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 13 during an event featuring football star Lionel Messi. The first PIL filed by senior advocate Billwadal Bhattacharya demanded a thorough probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the sale of tickets, where different tickets fetched different prices, starting from Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000.

The second PIL, filed by senior counsel Sabyasachi Chattopadhyay, has demanded a probe by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) into the matter.

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