I Was Made A 'Scapegoat' for Fiasco At Messi Event in Salt Lake Stadium: Satadru Dutta

Kolkata: Sports event organiser Satadru Dutta on Monday alleged that political interference, security failures and administrative lapses led to the fiasco during Lionel Messi's event at Salt Lake stadium in December last year.

Dutta claimed that he was made a "scapegoat" in the controversy for no fault of his.

Breaking his silence, Dutta told PTI the event at Salt Lake stadium on December 13 was supposed to follow a tightly controlled "Z-plus security" protocol, as per the Union Home Ministry guidelines, and only a limited number of people had access to Messi on the field.

"Everything from our side was meticulously planned. We had 16-20 meetings with police and security officials. But when I entered the ground with Messi, I saw hundreds of unauthorised people crowding inside (the ground) with or without accreditation cards," Dutta alleged.

He claimed former West Bengal Sports minister Aroop Biswas interfered in the event operations and exerted pressure on organisers for additional access pass.

"The pressure began over issuing additional accreditation cards. We refused because the number of people to be given access to the ground and other issues had already been finalised with the police. But unauthorised people continued to enter (the ground)," Dutta said.

According to him, Messi's security developed cold feet after several people surrounded the football star for selfies and got perilously close to the football superstar.

He claimed that when a person touched Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul for taking a selfie, that was the last straw as "Messi and his entire entourage became jittery."

"They then decided to leave the ground," he said.

Dutta maintained that the same event format had been conducted smoothly in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, regretting that the West Bengal Police and administration could not handle the situation.

"If there was a flaw in my management, how did the same team successfully organise the events in other cities where ministers and other guests behaved more responsibly," Dutta said.

Stating that he was framed to shield those responsible for the fiasco, Dutta claimed he was unjustly prevented from boarding a flight after the programme and later arrested in an "undemocratic" manner.

"However, those actually responsible, most notably the Sports minister, were never questioned," he said.

"I was framed while others were shielded," Dutta alleged.

Asked why he opened his mouth after the publication of poll results on May 4, he said, "I think the time has come to speak out and let everyone know the truth."

Defending the arrangements for the event, Dutta said the protocol followed in Kolkata was consistent with what has been implemented elsewhere, while stressing that the list of invited persons had been clearly defined in advance and shared with the authorities.

Dutta underlined that the 'programme flow' (detailed chart of everything) had been formally communicated to the police beforehand. "That was officially emailed to the police. They knew the entire thing," he said.

Detailing the approved lineup in Kolkata, Dutta added, "On the field of play - Shah Rukh Khan, Sourav Ganguly, Mamata Banerjee, Messi and a few international footballers and two football team officials had official access.. The only addition at the end was the scheduled felicitation of Bengal's Santosh Trophy-winning footballers," he added.

"Similar norms were applied universally in Messi events at other states where no such chaos took place," he said.

There should be an investigation into this "complete police failure."

"We had held 16-20 meetings with police officials and administration, and they had complete knowledge of everything. The Sports minister used his clout and was not leaving Messi for a moment on the ground. He failed to differentiate between a private event and a public event," Dutta said.

"Even when I requested the then DGP and CP to stop people getting so close to the football stars, they could not forbid the minister properly," he said.

Stating the discomfiture of Messi and his entourage started when they were followed on the ground by so many people trying to clutch them, hold their hands for a selfie, he said.

"In Latin America, you can't touch anyone on shoulder or waist, and he will get upset. As the same treatment was meted out to Messi, he felt upset as he doesn't want a claustrophobic environment," Dutta said.

About his ordeal in jail, he said, "The day they took me to custody, they put a mask so that I could not shout. There was intimidation by police, and I was waiting for a chance... I will expose the minister."

Dutta demanded a thorough, impartial probe into the incident.

Dutta said he was jailed for over a month, but the minister was not even called for a hearing as part of the probe.

"It was not a private event but a public event, and Mr Biswas made it a private event where spectators were not able to see Messi. Here in Bengal, politics gets bigger than business and I was made a scapegoat," he said.

Biswas could not be contacted, but a TMC leader said the minister was unfairly being targeted by the organiser, who had "failed" to enforce order in such a mega event and showed his poor management skill.

"As investigation is still on, we will not comment on the issue any more. But Biswas, being the then Sports minister, went to the event to represent the state," he said.