Aroop Biswas seeks relief as WB sports minister after Messi event row; CM yet to decide: TMC leader

Kolkata, Dec 16 (PTI) Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Tuesday said West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking relief from the charge of the sports department, amid mounting criticism over the mismanagement of the Lionel Messi event at the Salt Lake stadium last week.

Sharing what he described as a copy of Biswas's letter on social media, Ghosh said the minister had requested the CM to relieve him of his responsibilities as sports minister in the wake of the controversy surrounding the December 13 event at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, popularly known as the Salt Lake stadium.

The high-profile football event, featuring Argentine icon Lionel Messi, ended in chaos after angry spectators, upset over alleged mismanagement and security lapses, went on a rampage inside the stadium and clashed with police, causing damage to stadium property estimated at around Rs 2 crore.

"Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting that he be relieved of the responsibility of the sports department," Ghosh said in his post, attributing the move to the fallout of the Messi event fiasco.

However, political uncertainty soon followed.

While Ghosh initially claimed on social media that the chief minister had approved Biswas' resignation request, he later clarified that the resignation had not yet been accepted.

"I misunderstood initially. Aroop has sought relief from the post of sports minister. This is a matter for the government, and the chief minister will take a final decision," Ghosh said.

The letter shared by Ghosh was dated December 15, 2025, but was not on Biswas' official letterhead and did not carry his signature, raising questions in political circles over its formal status.

Repeated calls and messages to Biswas went unanswered, and he has so far made no public statement on the issue.

PTI, however, couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the letter.

Biswas currently holds charge of both the sports and youth welfare and the power departments. He has sought relief only from the sports portfolio.

Even if his request is accepted, he will continue to remain a minister in the state cabinet, sources said.

Party insiders said some of his confidants had believed that the controversy would be overshadowed by the publication of the draft electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on Tuesday.

Instead, Biswas moved swiftly to write to the chief minister last night before the Election Commission's formal announcement.

The development comes even as the Mamata Banerjee government has initiated strong administrative action over the incident.

The chief minister has constituted a high-level inquiry committee headed by retired Calcutta High Court judge Ashim Kumar Ray to probe the lapses during the event.

Based on preliminary findings, the state government has issued show-cause notices to Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, the Bidhannagar Police Commissioner and the state sports secretary.

Bidhannagar Deputy Police Commissioner Aneesh Sarkar has been suspended, while the services of the stadium's CEO have been terminated.

Notably, Kunal Ghosh revealed Biswas' resignation request on social media within minutes of the police-related action becoming public.

In his initial post, Ghosh hailed the chief minister's approach, saying such accountability was possible only under Mamata Banerjee's leadership and not during the CPI(M) regime or in BJP-ruled states. He later corrected his claim about the minister's resignation being accepted.

Opposition parties have intensified their demand for accountability, with the sports department remaining at the centre of the political storm.

Sources said there was no clarity yet on whether Biswas' request would be accepted, and the final decision rested with the chief minister. PTI PNT BDC