Kolkata Messi event case: Ex-Bengal Minister issued fresh police notice

Former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has received a fresh police notice for questioning in a vandalism case linked to the Lionel Messi event at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake Stadium, amid ongoing allegations and related arrests

Kolkata:  The Bidhannagar (South) Police Station in North 24 Parganas district, on Sunday, sent a fresh notice of interrogation to the former West Bengal Sports Minister, Aroop Biswas, for questioning over an FIR filed against him for vandalism at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake during Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour on December 13 last year.

Biswas has been asked to appear at the Bidhannagar (South) Police Station by Monday. This is the second notice sent by the police to Biswas in the matter.

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On June 2, the Bidhannagar (South) Police Station had issued the first notice to the former minister asking him to appear at the said police station on June 5. However, on June 4, Biswas sent a written communique to the said police station seeking 14 days to appear for questioning on medical grounds.

With his letter, sent via a messenger, the former minister also attached a medical certificate as evidence to support his claims of physical ailment. However, on Sunday, the investigating officers in the matter sent a fresh notice to Biswas asking him to appear at the Bidhannagar (South) Police Station for interrogation by June 8 afternoon.

Already, his younger brother Swarup Biswas has been arrested on charges of corruption, extortion and questionable behaviour towards women supporting staff in the Bengali silver screen industry.

On Saturday, a lower court in Kolkata remanded Swarup Biswas to 14 days of police custody in the matter. Aroop Biswas, a four-time Trinamool Congress legislator from the Tollygunge Assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district, was defeated this time by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Papiya Adhikari, an actress-turned politician, by a margin of over 6,000 votes.

The police registered the FIR on May 30, based on a complaint filed by the main organiser of the Messi event, Satadru Dutta, on May 17. Earlier, during the previous Trinamool Congress regime, police had arrested Dutta in connection with the Yuva Bharati incident. He was later released on bail.

On May 17, Dutta filed a written complaint against Biswas and several others. Based on that complaint, the Bidhannagar South Police Station registered an FIR against the former minister.

After the FIR was registered on May 30, Dutta thanked current West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, current state Sports Minister Nishith Pramanik, and the state’s Director General of Police, Sidh Nath Gupta.

In his complaint, Dutta claimed that Biswas had black-marketed about 22,000 tickets for the Messi event.

Based on that allegation, the Bidhannagar South Police Station started an investigation. Incidentally, the new Sports Minister, Nishith Pramanik, had spoken about opening a file on the Messi event fiasco after taking charge.