Messi Event: Aroop Biswas turns up after skipping three police summonses

Aroop Biswas with Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi. File | Photo credit: ANI

Former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas appeared before the Bidhannagar police on Thursday (Jun 18, 2026) in connection with an investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the 2025 event involving Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi, officials said.

The TMC leader reached the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate headquarters at around 9.55 am, after skipping three previous summonses, they said.

The case stems from a complaint filed by event organizer Shatadra Dutta, who accused Biswas of blackmailing tickets, extortion, cheating and intimidation in connection with the high-profile football event held at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 13 last year, which featured Messi.

The event ended with sections of the audience allegedly vandalizing parts of the stadium, claiming they failed to catch a glimpse of Mr Messi despite paying thousands of rupees for a ticket as he was surrounded on the ground by influential people.

Mr. Biswas denied any wrongdoing and maintained that he was not involved in the financial aspects of the program.

The Calcutta High Court had earlier granted him conditional protection from coercive measures and ordered him to cooperate with the investigation.

On June 5, the former minister wrote to the Bidhannagar Dakshin police station and asked for two weeks to appear, citing health reasons.

Meanwhile, the organizer of Mr Messi’s India tour claimed on Wednesday (June 17, 2026) that the football legend’s communications team had written to the police, holding Mr Biswa responsible for the fiasco.

The memo reportedly exonerated Mr. Dutta of mismanagement charges for which he was earlier arrested and jailed during the erstwhile TMC regime.

However, the Bidhannagar police, the recipients of the reported communication, remained tight-lipped about the development.

Published – 18 Jun 2026 11:57 IST