Kolkata, Dec. 16 -- Following the recent chaos at Salt Lake Stadium during Lionel Messi's visit, which saw an irate crowd vandalising the stadium, Trinamool Congress (TMC) said that Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has performed her "Raj Dharma" with her government dealing with the situation with an iron hand.
On Tuesday, apart from the state Sports minister Aroop Biswas resigning from his post, the state government served showcause notices to the DGP Rajeev Kumar, Bidhannagar police commissioner Mukesh Kumar and principal secretary of Sports department Rajesh Kumar Sinha seeking clarification on the "mismanagement" during the event. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DC), Bidhannagar Division, Aneesh Sarkar was suspended while Debkumar Nandan, the CEO of Salt Lake stadium, was also removed. Alluding to the state action, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, who had also shared Aroop's resignation letter on social media, said that the Chief Minister performed "Raj Dharma".
Countering the BJP's claim that such actions were a mere "hogwash", Ghosh said that the TMC-led state government has always believed in transparency and accountability. Ghosh also refuted claims that during the erstwhile Left Front government, no such chaos took place during mega events in Kolkata. He said: "On August 16, 1980, a major incident happened in Eden Garden during an East Bengal-Mohun Bagan match when 16 people died. No minister resigned then. No steps were taken against the organizers.
Again in 1996, at the same venue, major trouble broke out during the India vs Sri Lanka World Cup semi-final. Match was stopped. Jyoti Basu was Chief Minister then, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was police minister and Subhash Chakraborty Sports Minister."
Ever since the incident, TMC has been claiming that the entire fiasco could have been a "conspiracy to malign Bengal", questioning the presence of saffron flags and slogans such as "Jai Shri Ram," during the protest and the alleged presence of a BJP leader inside the stadium while common spectators were denied access.
Ghosh had questioned why the BJP MLA and former cricketer Ashok Dinda, should receive preferential access when others were barred.
He had also alleged that when Messi entered the ground, a group of central government security personnel and members of the event organising team remained constantly around him.
TMC leaders had claimed that despite visible unrest in the galleries and growing frustration among spectators unable to see Messi, no urgent steps were taken to disperse the crowd or ensure visibility for the audience.
The party had demanded a comprehensive investigation to determine responsibility for the lapses and to ascertain whether the chaos was accidental or part of a deliberate attempt to tarnish Bengal's image.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.