Messi event chaos: Bengal Guv flags management lapses, to submit report to Centre

Kolkata, Dec 15 (PTI) West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Monday termed the recent chaos during Lionel Messi's event at the Salt Lake stadium here as "management failure" and said he would submit to the Centre a "pro-people report" on the incident.

Speaking to reporters at the Lok Bhavan here, Bose said the episode "hurt the sentiments of football lovers everywhere" and "undermined the dignity of the common man, particularly those who are fans of football".

"It is going to be a pro-people report, which I will be submitting to the government of India and also suggestions given to the state government," Bose said.

The December 13 event at the stadium turned into widespread violence and disorder after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd frustrated.

They failed to catch a glimpse of their superstar despite having travelled from far and wide, paying hefty sums for tickets.

The governor had visited the venue on Sunday for a first-hand inspection.

Pointing to "lapses in planning and administration", the governor said, “See, what happened on that day is something which should not happen. It hurts the sentiments of the football lovers everywhere. It undermined the dignity of the common man, particularly those who are fans of football. Management failure has been there. Systemic failure has been there. It is surprising that for such a large congregation, there is not even a standard operating procedure." Bose said that he has already directed the state government to order a judicial inquiry, arrest all those responsible and refund ticket prices to spectators.

Referring to the damage caused to the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, the governor said, "The stadium is public property. Action has been initiated against those responsible (for the chaos), as well as officials who failed in their duties, particularly the police." Emphasising that such incidents must not recur, Bose said, “These should never be repeated in a civilised society like Bengal.” On whether political functionaries seen at the event would come under the ambit of the inquiry, the governor said, "I will convey my observations on these issues confidentially first to my esteemed constitutional colleague (Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee), then to others concerned, and then only I will make it public." PTI SCH BDC