Kolkata: Satadru Dutta, the principal organiser of the high-profile event featuring Argentine football star Lionel Messi at Salt Lake Stadium on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, was arrested on Saturday following chaos and vandalism at the venue over high ticket prices and limited access to the football icon, an official said.
Confirming the arrest, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Jawed Shamim said a first information report (FIR) would be registered in connection with the incident.
“A thorough investigation will be conducted to ascertain the roots of the mismanagement that ultimately led to the chaos. The police are taking the matter very seriously. Every person found responsible for the mismanagement and the resulting disorder will be booked,” Shamim said.
He added that the event organisers have been directed to arrange refunds for the money collected through ticket sales.
According to a senior police official, Dutta was arrested by police personnel at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport while he was attempting to leave the city. He is currently being interrogated.
The unrest erupted after angry spectators, who had bought tickets at what they described as exorbitant prices, protested over their limited access to Messi. The situation soon escalated, with agitated fans going on a rampage inside the stadium. Police were forced to carry out a large-scale lathi charge and deploy personnel from the Rapid Action Force to bring the situation under control. Amid the disorder, Messi left the stadium earlier than scheduled.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was en route to the stadium at the time but asked her driver to turn back after being informed about the ruckus and vandalism. Shortly thereafter, she announced the formation of a judicial committee to probe the mismanagement that led to the chaos.
The inquiry panel will be headed by retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Additional Secretary to the Home and Hill Affairs Department Nandini Chakraborty as members.
“The committee will conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident, fix responsibility and recommend measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future. Once again, I extend my heartfelt apologies to all sports lovers,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.
With IANS inputs