State inquiry panel, Bengal Governor inspect Salt Lake stadium

A day after spectators went on a rampage during Argentine football icon Lionel Messi’s event at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium, members of a Bengal government-appointed inquiry committee visited the venue on Sunday to assess the damage, officials said.The three-member team examined broken plastic chairs, twisted metal barricades and littered galleries during its on-ground inspection of the stadium, one of India’s largest football arenas, they said.Led by retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, the committee began its inspection from the point where Messi entered the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan and attempted to trace his movement inside the stadium, officials said. The panel, which also includes Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, inspected entry corridors, security arrangements during the December 13 event and adjoining galleries, they said.Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose also visited the stadium separately on Sunday for a first-hand inspection. Accompanied by the chief secretary and senior police officers, Bose inspected different parts of the venue as part of his assessment of the incident, officials said.Bose was “denied” entry to the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday after chaos and crowd trouble at the venue marred Messi’s event. He found the gates closed and the stadium lights switched off on his arrival. The governor alleged the move was intended to block his entry and sought a detailed explanation.Bose had earlier described the incident at the Salt Lake Stadium as a “dark day for the sports-loving people of Kolkata.” He had directed the state government to arrest the event organiser, holding them squarely responsible for the chaos, and also blamed the police for failing the government, the people and the chief minister.What was meant to be a marquee football spectacle descended into widespread violence and disorder on Saturday after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance — his first at the venue since 2011 — left large sections of the crowd frustrated. Many spectators failed to catch a glimpse of the football star despite travelling from far and wide and paying hefty sums for tickets.The committee, set up by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been tasked with fixing responsibility for the lapses and recommending corrective measures to prevent a recurrence at high-profile events.Cleaning and restoration work at the stadium was halted to allow the panel to assess the scale of damage and reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the chaos, an official said.Scattered footwear, torn banners, broken railings and damaged fibreglass seats were visible across several blocks of the stadium gallery, while police guarded sections of the venue as the panel examined security arrangements and crowd flow patterns, another official said.Officials accompanying the committee carried out videography and photography throughout the inspection to document the extent of vandalism for the investigation, he said.An FIR has been registered and police have arrested the main organiser on charges of mismanagement and public disorder.Banerjee apologised to Messi and football fans on Saturday and announced the formation of the high-level committee to ensure accountability.



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