Kolkata: West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose is learnt to have flown to New Delhi with a sealed, detailed report on the violence and vandalism that erupted at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan after spectators failed to catch a glimpse of international football icon Lionel Messi.
Raj Bhavan sources said the Governor was deeply concerned over the manner in which the situation spiralled out of control and the implications it had for law and order in the state. The report, prepared on the Governor’s instructions, will be submitted to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
While Raj Bhavan declined to disclose details of the Governor’s meetings in Delhi, citing security reasons, administrative sources indicated that a meeting with Union Home minister Amit Shah was likely.
According to sources, the report flags serious lapses in event management and crowd control, and raises questions over the security arrangements for Messi, the captain of Argentina’s World Cup-winning team. The report also notes that similar appearances by Messi and fellow footballer Luis Suárez in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi passed off without incident, unlike in Kolkata.
The Governor had visited the stadium on Saturday evening to assess the situation but was initially denied entry by the administration. He returned on Sunday, inspected the damaged premises, and later sought a comprehensive report on the law-and-order aspects of the incident. The unrest broke out on Saturday evening when a large crowd, disappointed over Messi’s brief and restricted appearance during a programme at the stadium, went on a rampage, damaging property and creating chaos inside the venue.
Following the incident, event organiser Shatadru Dutta was arrested, but public anger continued to simmer.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee later issued an apology to the public through a post on X.