Messi surrounded by VIPs, fans rage: Five held in stadium vandalism case

Two of the accused, Shubhra Pratim Dey and Gaurab Basu, were arrested from Nagerbazar on Monday morning, while three others — Basudeb Das, Sanjay Das, and Abhijit Das — were apprehended from Baguiati’s Jyangra during the day.

The accused were identified from video footage of the mayhem, which erupted after spectators were denied a view of Messi, who was surrounded by influential figures, including politicians.

Lionel Messi accompanied by a huge crowd at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Chaos broke out moments after Messi stepped out of his white luxury car and entered the field, where he was immediately surrounded by hundreds of people, including police personnel. Nearly 80,000 spectators were blocked from seeing the football star.

West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas was seen accompanying Messi along with international footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, with several individuals allegedly forcing selfies and photographs. Family members of the minister and relatives of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were also spotted near Messi, while fans waited in vain.

The overcrowding quickly spiraled out of control, prompting Messi’s security team to escort him off the field despite repeated requests for him to stay. His sudden departure left fans feeling “betrayed,” triggering unrest.

Angry Messi fans ransack Salt Lake Stadium over no visuality. Photo: Avishek Mitra/IBNS

Spectators began hurling plastic bottles and chairs, damaging property, breaking barricades, and storming sections of the field. Two large tents erected on the field—allegedly for dignitaries—were later set on fire.

Police largely exercised restraint as security forces struggled for nearly an hour to regain control. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly were scheduled to share the stage with Messi, but the programme was cut short.

Event organiser Satadru Dutta, arrested later in the day, has been remanded to 14 days of police custody. While the Chief Minister has ordered an inquiry into the mismanagement, questions remain over how hundreds of people, including relatives of political figures, were allowed close access to Messi.

Messi later continued the remaining legs of the tour in Hyderabad and Mumbai over the weekend without incident