Action to be taken against guilty; WB govt acted promptly after Messi event chaos: Abhishek

Kolkata, Dec 17 (PTI) Senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday said that the West Bengal government acted promptly after the chaos that erupted during an event involving Argentine football star Lionel Messi, asserting that action has already been initiated and further steps will follow against anyone found guilty.

Banerjee, the party's national general secretary and the Diamond Harbour MP, made the assertion while speaking to reporters after returning to Kolkata from Delhi, where had gone to attend the Winter Session of Parliament and a parliamentary party meeting.

"Action will be taken against whoever is found guilty. The government has been prompt in taking action. There may have been some lapses on the part of the administration, but the government has acted and has taken steps to rectify the situation," Banerjee said.

Referring to the disorder at the Salt Lake stadium, he said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee apologised to the public within an hour of the incident, taking moral responsibility for the lapse.

"Within one hour of the incident at the stadium, the chief minister apologised to the people. She did not shy away from responsibility," the TMC leader, who is also the nephew of Mamata Banerjee, said.

He also pointed out that action has already been taken against police officers and ministers in connection with the incident, underlining that the government has not hesitated to initiate accountability measures.

Banerjee said other state governments had failed to own responsibility in the aftermath of tragedies such as the Kumbh stampede and the New Delhi railway station stampede.

"Here, the chief minister apologised immediately and corrective steps were initiated. Even then, questions are being raised," he said.

The chaos during the high-profile event had triggered widespread criticism, following which the state government accepted the resignation of Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, issued show-cause notices to senior police officers and ordered an inquiry into the alleged mismanagement.

The CM on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Biswas, while the state government issued show-cause notices to the director general of police and other senior officers, and suspended a deputy commissioner.

Biswas, who had come under fire over alleged mismanagement of the event, had written to the chief minister seeking to step aside to facilitate an "impartial inquiry".

The sports minister had remained in the eye of the storm following allegations that his presence on the pitch alongside Messi and his entourage obstructed views from the galleries, triggering crowd unrest. PTI PNT ACD