Former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has moved the Barasat District Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a case linked to alleged vandalism at Kolkata’s Yuva Bharati Krirangan during the Lionel Messi GOAT India Tour event held on December 13 last year. The application was filed on Monday after an FIR was registered against him at the Bidhannagar South Police Station in North 24 Parganas district.
According to officials, the FIR was lodged on May 30 based on a complaint submitted by event organiser Satadru Dutta on May 17. The complaint alleges irregularities and misconduct related to the high-profile football event, which had drawn significant public attention and large crowds at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
The anticipatory bail plea filed by Biswas has been admitted by the court, although the date for the first hearing has not yet been scheduled. The development comes amid an ongoing police investigation into allegations connected to the event, including claims raised in the complaint regarding large-scale ticket distribution irregularities.
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Earlier, organiser Satadru Dutta had filed a written complaint naming Biswas and others, alleging that around 22,000 tickets were black-marketed during the event. Following the complaint, police initiated a formal investigation after registering the FIR. Authorities have not yet disclosed further details regarding the progress of the probe.
The case has added a political dimension to the controversy surrounding the Messi exhibition match, which had already been in the spotlight due to logistical and crowd management concerns. Biswas, a four-time Trinamool Congress legislator from the Tollygunge constituency, recently lost his seat in the state elections to Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Papiya Adhikari. The investigation continues as law enforcement authorities examine allegations and statements from involved parties, while the court is expected to take up the anticipatory bail plea in the coming days.
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