India, Dec. 16 -- Aroop Biswas on Tuesday stepped down as West Bengal sports minister following the controversy over the chaos at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium when football legend Lionel Messi made a brief appearance on December 13, people familiar with the matter said.

Biswas's handwritten letter to the chief minister Mamata Banerjee asked her to relieve him of the responsibility as sports minister to ensure an impartial probe into the rampage at the stadium by a section of spectators who bought tickets to see Messi but flared up when he left in a hurry because of mismanagement.

A Bengal cabinet minister said Banerjee has accepted Biswas's request. "She will look after the sports department until the inquiries ordered into the incident ...