Satadru may be taken to stadium this week for reconstruction of events
Times of India | 24 December 2025
Kolkata: Satadru Dutta, organiser of the Lionel Messi event at Salt Lake Stadium, is likely to be taken to the venue in next three days for reconstruction of the sequence of events that led to the chaos on Dec 13, sources said.
Investigators plan to recreate the moments when Messi, along with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, was forced to leave the stadium amid security concerns after being hemmed in by officials and semi-celebrities. The breach triggered outrage among fans who were denied even a fleeting glimpse of the football icon, culminating in vandalism inside the stadium and injuries to cops.
According to sources, police will escort Dutta to the ground through the same gate used by Messi and his entourage. He will be asked to explain how a large number of people managed to surround the footballer in violation of established security protocols.
Dutta may also be asked to identify the deployment plan for officials and organisers during the event and explain how those arrangements collapsed when the Argentinian forward stepped onto the field to kick off his three-day GOAT India Tour.
Police said that when Dutta was taken into custody two weeks ago, the state counsel placed a detailed 10-point submission before court to justify custodial interrogation. These included identifying associates, recovering documents and coordination material, examining the organisers' response to early warning signs of unrest, establishing elements of criminal conspiracy, tracing the financial trail, and reconstructing the incident through sustained questioning. "The reconstruction is still pending, and we are trying to complete it over the next three days," an officer of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate said.
Meanwhile, sources said the SIT probing the alleged mismanagement is preparing to summon individuals who were issued ground-access cards for the event. Investigators have reportedly drawn up a list of those granted field access by Dutta, a key focus area in determining how security was compromised.
During questioning, Dutta told investigators that he attempted to clear the area around Messi after the footballer expressed discomfort, but his requests were allegedly ignored. Investigators have also learnt that approximately Rs 100 crore was spent to bring Messi to India. Sources said the amount was raised through ticket sales and sponsorships. Of the total amount, around Rs 89 crore was paid to Messi, while the remaining Rs 11 crore went to the Indian govt as tax.
On Tuesday, too, investigators questioned Dutta for several hours, focusing on crowd management, access control, and chain of decisions taken on the event day, as police seek to fix responsibility for lapses that ultimately led to public backlash and violence inside the stadium.