“People chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ committed vandalism, football fans didn’t”: TMC’s Kunal Ghosh on chaos during Messi’s event at Salt Lake Stadium

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], December 14 (ANI): Following the chaos during the GOAT India Tour of football icon Lionel Messi at Salt Lake Stadium, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh asked on Sunday if the bedlam was orchestrated to defame Kolkata, and an investigation should be conducted to find out whether this was done deliberately or not.
Speaking to reporters, Ghosh said, "What happened was very unfortunate. It happened even before the Chief Minister arrived, but the Chief Minister has set up an inquiry committee for it. It was the fault of the private organisers, but football fans did not commit the vandalism; it was carried out by people chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'. This will be investigated... Some people were carrying flags and chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' while vandalising the place; these cannot be football fans. Therefore, this aspect also needs to be looked into. First, there was an attempt to defame West Bengal, then the SIR incident happened, the Bengali language was insulted, and now this incident at a private organiser's event - was it done to defame Kolkata? Whether this was done deliberately or not should also be investigated."
Earlier, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Sunday blamed Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders for the chaos during the GOAT India Tour of Messi in Kolkata, accusing them of making a "private spectacle" of themselves.
Sharing an image of TMC Minister Aroop Biswas' family and Akash Banerjee, nephew of Mamata Banerjee's with Lionel Messi at the Salt Lake Stadium, Amit Malviya said, "Yesterday's programme at Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) was meant to celebrate football in a city that lives and breathes the sport, and to give Lionel Messi's fans a moment to cherish. Instead, the event was reduced to a private spectacle reserved for a select few from the Banerjee-Biswas circle."
Amit Malviya further accused TMC leaders of playing with fans' emotions. He added that the chaos unfolded at the event was "deeply damaging to the image of a city."
"While ordinary fans waited with hope, their emotions were played with, and their passion for football was taken for granted. What unfolded on the ground was painful to watch and deeply damaging to the image of a city known worldwide for its love of the beautiful game," Amit Malviya said.
The BJP leader further said that organisers are now being "turned into a scapegoat" for chaos.
"Now, an organiser is being conveniently turned into a scapegoat. But the people of Kolkata know better, and they have already identified the real culprits behind this disgrace," he said.
Messi's Kolkata leg of the GOAT Tour descended into chaos on Saturday as fans who paid high ticket prices at Salt Lake Stadium's event began throwing bottles and attempting to break the gates between the stands after the Argentine legend left early. Angry fans resorted to vandalism at the Kolkata stadium, alleging poor event management and criticising VIPs and politicians for 'hogging' the football icon's attention and time to the extent that fans did not even get a glimpse of Messi.
The situation escalated when angry fans attempted to enter the ground to vandalise the tent and the goal post. To control the situation, police personnel used mild force to disperse the angry crowd from the ground.
The promoter and organiser of football star Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour 2025, Satadru Dutta, has been sent to 14 days of police custody in connection with the incident. (ANI)