Pictures by Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency.
Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: An FIR has already been lodged against former Sports Minister Arup Biswas following the chaos surrounding Lionel Messi's visit. Sports organizer Shatadru Dutta has announced that a lawsuit seeking ₹100 crore in compensation for financial losses and defamation will be filed against Arup. The FIR against Arup Biswas was initiated in the wake of the disorder that ensued regarding the arrangements to bring Lionel Messi to the Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Now, Shatadru Dutta has stated that a civil suit demanding ₹100 crore in damages—covering both financial loss and defamation—will be instituted against Arup.
He confirmed that this lawsuit is scheduled to be filed on June 3. In a social media post on Monday, Shatadru revealed that the proposed defendants include Jui Biswas and several journalists, whose actions have allegedly caused immense damage to his reputation, the event's standing, his financial interests, and his personal life. Shatadru further claims that an application will be submitted to add the names of several other individuals to the FIR already on record; these additions would fall under various sections of the Indian Penal Code—including Section 120B (criminal conspiracy)—as well as charges related to cheating, trespassing, and other relevant offenses. This course of action is being pursued based on documentary evidence, video footage, and other corroborating proofs.
Shatadru stated that, to date, they have identified a total of 19 individuals whose roles and involvement have been thoroughly scrutinized. All subsequent legal measures will be undertaken strictly in accordance with the law and based on evidence that is admissible before the appropriate authorities and the courts. Shatadru asserts that the primary objective of this legal battle is to bring every individual—who was directly or indirectly involved in this incident and whose actions caused detriment to the event, the organizers, the partners, and thousands of football enthusiasts—under the purview of the law and to ensure their accountability. Meanwhile, Shatadru has also leveled allegations against Abhijit Dutta, a representative of the Bata Club, accusing him of unauthorized entry onto the playing field. A civil suit seeking financial compensation is also set to be filed against him. Notably, an FIR has been lodged against Arup under a total of five sections: Common Object (3/5), Extortion (308/2), Cheating (318/4), Criminal Intimidation (351/2), and Criminal Conspiracy (61/2).
It is alleged that on December 13, prior to the event featuring Lionel Messi at the Yuva Bharati Stadium, Arup demanded a large number of tickets from Shatadru. He further threatened to cancel the entire event if his demands were not met. Arup also faces allegations of having procured 22,000 'complimentary' tickets from Shatadru. It is alleged that these tickets were subsequently sold on the black market. The crowd that gathered around Messi during the event consisted primarily of organizers, photographers, political leaders, ministers, and their close associates. It is further alleged that Arup was practically clinging to Messi.
Prior to this, on May 19, Shatadru lodged a written complaint at the Bidhannagar South Police Station against several individuals—including Arup, Jui Biswas, IAS officer Shantanu Basu, and the then Director General (DG) of State Police, Rajeev Kumar. He claims that the entire event was 'ruined' due to the errors committed by Arup and several others. Many individuals had entered the stadium grounds without proper authorization, a situation that ultimately resulted in chaos.