Governor C V Ananda Bose has written to the state government, seeking an elaborate report on the arrangements for Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi’s programme in Kolkata on Saturday, a Lok Bhavan official said.
Following the chaos, Governor Bose sharply questioned the police’s role and the event’s lack of management. “Who’s responsible? Where was the police? I had warned the state government based on inputs from the public, but nothing was done. Now, what’s next?,” he told mediapersons.
He also questioned why a person was allowed to earn money at the expense of the common people’s emotions.
“The Lok Bhavan has been receiving calls and mails from football fans complaining that they were unable to get tickets for the Messi match as the prices are beyond their reach. Now, the governor is keen to know why this is happening. Why are the common people unable to see their favourite star when he is here?” the Lok Bhavan official said.
The governor is “shocked to learn that only a few people who have paid a hefty price for the tickets would be able to see the star Argentine footballer”, the Lok Bhavan official said.
“The governor has written to the state, asking for a detailed report on the private person who is earning from Messi’s visit. Why are the common people barred from seeing Messi?” the official added.
Seeking a judicial enquiry into the incident, Governor Bose said, “Demand immediate arrest of the organiser, refund of the money to the fans and government should have a standard operating procedure for the large congregations. If such incidents occur in the future Rapid Action Force (RAF) should be kept in place. There was a lack of management, supervision and planning, these should be seen. It is a sad state of affairs that the CM could not reach the venue. What has happened to Bengal.”
Later in the evening, the governor was “denied” entry into the Salt Lake Stadium.
Bose described the denial of entry as an affront to the constitutional position of the Governor, and sought a reply from the authorities.
“Is this the way Bengal treats its Governor? The Governor is not a rubber stamp,” Bose said, terming the episode a “ghastly irrelevance of a constitutional authority”.
“The truth will come out. I’ll return. My report’s half done — I want to know why the gates were shut. This isn’t how authorities treat a Governor. If the truth’s hidden from me…maybe this is only the tip of the iceberg. I’ll be back tomorrow,” he said.