West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to social media to comment on the incident at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
The leader said she was “shocked” by the mishandling of an event in which Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi made a public appearance in India. She apologized to the sports star and promised a thorough investigation into the incident.
Mamata Banerjee apologizes to Messi
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Mamata Banerjee wrote, “I am deeply concerned and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed at the Salt Lake Stadium today.”
He added: “I was on my way to the stadium to attend this event along with thousands of sports lovers and fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of their favorite footballer Lionel Messi. I sincerely apologize to Lionel Messi as well as to all sports lovers and his fans for the unfortunate incident.”
A high-level committee of inquiry to investigate the incident
She added that a commission of inquiry would be set up to probe the incident, “I am constituting a commission of inquiry under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray with the Chief Secretary and Additional Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Mountain Affairs as members.
“The committee will conduct a detailed investigation into the incident, determine responsibility and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Once again, I sincerely apologize to all sports lovers,” she added.
BJP draws criticism: ‘A total disgrace on the international stage’
Bharatiya Janata Party National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari criticized the mismanagement of Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium and state CM Mamata Banerjee in a scathing post on X.
“Scenes of chaos and utter mismanagement at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Angry fans were forced to throw bottles and chairs from the stands after being pushed to the brink by sheer mismanagement,” he claimed.
And he adds: “Football icon Lionel Messi left the stadium in just 15 minutes. Thousands of fans who had gathered with hope couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him. WHEN he was surrounded by inept TMC leaders!”
Bhandari claimed that the event was poorly planned and caused India international embarrassment. “Global legend, massive public participation, yet zero planning. A total disgrace on the international stage. Mamata can’t even organize or manage the event,” he said.
