Less than 24 hours after the state-appointed inquiry committee recommended the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the chaos at the Salt Lake Stadium, a four-member SIT led by Director (Security) Peeyush Pandey visited the venue on Wednesday morning.
The team conducted an on-site inspection before moving to the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate office adjacent to the stadium. According to senior officers, the SIT held a meeting with the Bidhannagar Detective department and sought details on the progress of two cases — one against Satadru Dutta, the main organiser of the “Messi GOAT India” tour, and the second related to vandalism by spectators, for which six arrests have already been made.
Officials said the SIT questioned officers on duty about deployment on the day of the event and the sequence of events that led to the crowd unrest. They also sought clarification on how water bottles and food were allegedly sold inside the stadium at steep prices despite instructions that such items were barred, and why police allegedly did not intervene when vendors were seen selling them.
The SIT has decided to induct four more officers of ranks ranging the SIT team will include officers of the ranks of Deputy Commissioner and Inspector, and is likely to include personnel from the Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police later, sources said.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and several BJP MLAs attempted to enter the stadium on Wednesday afternoon but were denied entry as the gates were closed.
Speaking to media outside the premises, Adhikari said, “The Chief Minister did not come and visit but as LOP, it is my responsibility. This is public property. All the maintenance was done with funds from the Central government. The vandalism was due to mismanagement by the organisers and state government.”
The MLAs held placards and raised slogans, including “Mamata has brought shame” and “Chi Chi Mamata”. They demanded the arrest of former state Sports Minister Aroop Biswas, who resigned in the wake of the event, and state Fire Minister Sujit Bose. “I demand the arrest of Aroop Biswas and Sujit Bose. This resignation is just an eyewash,” Adhikari said.
BJP MLA Ashok Dinda, who was present at the stadium during the event, told reporters, “Was it a TMC program? Can anyone show any picture of me with Messi?”
The vandalism occurred last Saturday after spectators accused organisers of mismanagement, saying they paid high ticket prices but were unable to see football star Lionel Messi clearly. Messi, along with Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, was reportedly on the field for around 20 minutes and surrounded by VVIPs and politicians, including state minister Biswas, prompting fans to allegedly storm the galleries and damage property.
Following the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee constituted a probe committee headed by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, with the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary as members. The committee submitted its preliminary findings on Monday night, recommending the formation of an SIT. DGP Rajeev Kumar and Bidhannagar CP Mukesh were showcaused, DC Aneesh Sarkar was suspended, and departmental action was initiated against other officials.