NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday defended the West Bengal government’s actions after chaos erupted during football legend Lionel Messi’s appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.Banerjee said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee apologized within an hour of the incident, while other state governments had not owned responsibility for incidents such as the Kumbh stampede and the New Delhi railway station stampede.“In states ruled by the BJP, so many people died during the Kumbh. So many people died in the stampede at New Delhi railway station — did you question them about that? Did you question Yogi Adityanath? What happened in Bengal — the chief minister apologized within one hour,” the TMC said.“What is true is who is alive. Akaad to murder ki pehchaan hai (Only those who have life in them bow; rigidity is the mark of the dead). We have bowed before the people. Action is being taken against everyone against whom there are allegations. That is why the BJP loses, and the Trinamool defeats them,” he added.Messi’s Kolkata appearance, the first stop of the GOAT Tour 2025, ended in chaos. What was meant to be a celebration of the World Cup-winning superstar in a football-loving state turned chaotic as VIPs and politicians on the pitch sparked fan frustration, with many attendees claiming they could barely see the footballer they had paid to watch.Angry fans resorted to vandalism at the stadium, alleging poor event management and criticizing VIPs and politicians for hogging the football icon’s attention and time, to the extent that many fans did not even get a glimpse of Messi.Meanwhile, sports minister Aroop Biswas also resigned from his post on Tuesday following the chaos during Messi’s GOAT India Tour in Kolkata. The chief minister accepted his resignation.The state government also informed that a Special Investigation Team comprising IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and Muralidhar has been constituted to conduct a thorough probe into the matter.The government has already served a notice to Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, ordering him to clarify within 24 hours why such mismanagement and lapses occurred at the stadium and why proper coordination with concerned stakeholders, including the private organizer, was not carried out to ensure the smooth conduct of the event.
