The aftermath: Salt Lake stadium vandalism losses pegged at 2.5 cr
Times of India | 15 December 2025
Kolkata: Financial losses suffered by the Salt Lake Stadium authorities and vendors were estimated at over Rs 2.5 crore, a day after spectators created chaos at the venue following Lionel Messi's exit.
On Sunday morning, the stadium bore the scars of destruction, with broken chairs and water bottles strewn across the ground. Ripped seats and shattered iron frames lay scattered over the pitch and the surrounding synthetic running track. Hundreds of plastic water bottles — banned inside the stadium — were found littered across the venue. Torn posters bearing marks of mob fury were scattered through the galleries and on the pitch. Food packets, large bricks, iron rods and pieces of broken speakers lay dumped in piles.
The inquiry panel's inspection team visited the stadium on Sunday afternoon, with cops posted at every entry point. Vendors waited outside for permission from the authorities to retrieve their goods from the premises.
"The trouble started after Messi hurriedly left the stadium. Spectators seated near the VIP box began throwing water bottles. Slogans were raised, and the crowd moved towards the fencing separating the gallery from the pitch. Suddenly, I saw a large brick fly onto the ground," said a vendor who was managing the sound system.
One of the bricks hit a speaker, rendering it defunct instantly. Within minutes, another group broke open the fencing lock and began vandalising the sound equipment.
"They lifted the speakers and hurled them to the ground. They snapped power cables, trampled the amplifiers and poured water into the sound system. Several cordless microphones are still missing. Around 12.45 pm, a section of the mob suddenly set a sofa meant for guests on fire. Two canopies erected on the pitch were pulled down, and the entire ground looked like a battlefield," the vendor said.
Biswajit Haldar, owner of Southern Light and Sound, which supplied 48 high-end speakers, amplifiers, microphones and LED screens, said the losses were yet to be fully assessed. "We could manage to save very few items. Many of these cannot be repaired. The losses will easily cross Rs 40 lakh," Haldar said.
A Gujarat-based company contracted to supply drinking water to spectators had stacked nearly 300 crates of packaged water and soft drinks near the ground on Sunday evening. "We brought around 500 cases of drinking water and soft drinks. We had permission to sell a glass of water at Rs 10. However, most spectators carried their own water and did not buy from us. Since bottles were not allowed inside the ground, we sold water in paper glasses," said Riyaz Memon, an employee of the vendor.