Kolkata: Five individuals arrested following the violent disorder at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan during Lionel Messi's visit have been denied bail, despite claiming in court that they were "victims" of mismanagement rather than perpetrators of vandalism.
The accused—Basudev Das, Sanjay Das, Abhijit Das, Gaurav Basu, and Shubhrapratim Dey—appeared before the Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Court on Monday. While police did not request immediate custodial interrogation, they successfully argued for the group to be remanded in judicial custody until 22 December.
In a heated hearing, defence lawyers argued that their clients had purchased legitimate tickets to see the Argentine superstar but were let down by organisational failures. They contended that the accused were caught in the chaos caused by poor crowd control, rather than instigating it.
The defence asked for the proof, challenging the prosecution to produce CCTV footage explicitly showing their clients engaging in vandalism. Lawyers for Abhijit and Basudev Das specifically claimed their clients were not visible in police footage. Basudev’s counsel noted that his client had voluntarily gone to the police station after his friend's arrest, only to be detained himself.
One of the accused, Shubhrapratim Dey, an MBA student and employee of a semi-government organisation, pleaded for leniency. He told the court that continued incarceration would ruin his future career prospects.
The prosecution strongly opposed the bail applications, citing the severity of the incident. The public prosecutor informed the court that several police officers and government employees had been injured during the rampage.
Although detailed medical reports are still pending, the prosecution argued that judicial custody was necessary to facilitate potential future interrogation. The court accepted this position, ordering the police to submit the case diary for further scrutiny.
The arrests follow chaotic scenes at the Salt Lake stadium on Saturday. The highly anticipated event, featuring Messi alongside Luis Suarez and Angel Di Maria, descended into farce when the stars appeared for only 22 minutes.
Spectators, who had paid to see the World Cup winner, were left frustrated as a large entourage, including State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, crowded the pitch, obscuring the view from the galleries.
When the footballers departed abruptly, the crowd's patience snapped. What began as protests against the organisers quickly escalated; hoardings were torn down, bottles were hurled onto the pitch, and fencing was breached as angry fans stormed the field, causing widespread damage to the venue.
(Inputs from IANS)