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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the West Bengal government over the chaos that erupted during football icon Lionel Messi's Kolkata appearance, alleging a "total collapse of law and order" in the state and blaming what he described as an entrenched VIP culture for ruining the event.
Referring to the disorder during Messi's Kolkata leg of the 'GOAT Tour 2025', Sarma said accountability should begin at the top. "The State's Home Minister, who is the Chief Minister, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner should have been arrested," he said, while adding that he was not justifying or opposing the arrest of the event organiser. "First responsibility goes to the home minister of the state and the police commissioner," he asserted. Drawing comparisons with large public events in other states, Sarma said crowd management failures in Bengal stood out. "After Zubeen Garg's death, Guwahati's roads were filled with around 10 lakh people for three days, but no mishap was reported. Post Malone's function happened here peacefully. Around 50,000 people went there, and no incident was reported. In Mumbai, the Women's World Cup final was played, and everything happened peacefully," he said. "But West Bengal is a state where nothing is predictable. The VIP culture is at an extreme level there." Sarma added that the incident should prompt introspection by the state leadership. "Messi is an idol for the whole world. Mamata Banerjee should introspect. Innocent people are subjected to atrocities every day in Bengal. This is a matter of concern," he said. Messi's much-anticipated Kolkata appearance ended in chaos after fans alleged that the presence of VIPs and politicians on the pitch deprived them of a proper glimpse of the World Cup-winning superstar, for whom they had bought tickets. The situation escalated after Messi left the venue early, triggering protests, slogan-shouting and vandalism inside the Salt Lake Stadium. Angry fans reportedly threw plastic bottles and chairs onto the pitch, damaged tents and a goalpost, and some managed to breach security. Police used mild force to disperse the crowd. West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose later said that the event organiser had been arrested, even as opposition parties blamed the Trinamool Congress government for alleged mismanagement. (ANI)
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