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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken charge of the state's sports ministry, following the resignation of cabinet minister Aroop Biswas, who stepped down from his role amid a probe into the chaos that erupted during Lionel Messi's appearance at a Kolkata stadium.
Accepting her minister's resignation, an official statement from the CM read that "until and unless the impartial inquiry is over, the Sports Department will be looked after by me for the time being." "As per the enclosed letter, I appreciate the sentiment and intention of the Sports Minister to offer a relief from the Sports Department for the sake of impartial inquiry into the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) incident on December 13, 2025," according to an official statement from the state government. Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigned from his post on Tuesday following the chaos that erupted during Footballer Messi's GOAT India Tour in Kolkata. Chief Minister Banerjee accepted Biswas' resignation. The state government also informed that a Special Investigation Team comprising IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and Muralidhar has been constituted to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. The government has already served notice to Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, ordering him to "clarify within 24 hours of communication on why such mismanagement and lapses happened in the stadium on the day and why proper coordination with concerned stakeholders, including the private organiser, was not carried out so as to ensure smooth conduct of the event." Messi's Kolkata appearance, the first stop of the GOAT Tour 2025, ended in chaos. What was meant to be a celebration of the World Cup-winning superstar with a football-loving state turned chaotic as VIPs and politicians on the pitch allegedly sparked fan frustration, with many attendees claiming they could hardly see the footballer they had paid to watch. Angry fans resorted to vandalism at the Kolkata stadium, alleging poor event management and criticising VIPs and politicians for hogging the football icon's attention and time to the extent that fans did not even get a glimpse of Messi. Shortly after completing his iconic tour, Messi visited animal sanctuary Vantara and departed from Jamnagar, which marked his final stop, after visiting Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi. (ANI)
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