‘Many people killed at Kumbh’: Abhishek Banerjee's defence against Kolkata stadium chaos during Messi's tour

Abhishek Banerjee's remarks come after West Bengal's sports minister Aroop Biswas resigned on Tuesday over the Salt Lake stadium fiasco.

Updated on: Dec 17, 2025, 09:41:47 IST

By HT News Desk

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Trinamool Congress leader and MP Abhishek Banerjee, while defending the West Bengal government over the chaos that erupted during footballer Lionel Messi's GOAT India tour's first leg in Kolkata, said that the state administration acted swiftly after the incident and initiated probe into what had happened, adding that the state chief minister Mamata Banerjee also issued an apology within an hour of the incident.

"Within an hour of the incident in Bengal, the Chief Minister apologised," said Abhishek Banerjee on Salt Lake stadium chaos. (File Photo/ANI)

The Trinamool leader also criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party over its handeling of past tragedies including the stampedes at the Mahakumbh Mela and the New Delhi railway station in which several people had died.

"So many people were killed at the Kumbh Mela during this government's rule and the New Delhi railway station stampede... Within an hour of the incident in Bengal, the Chief Minister apologised... Action is being taken against everyone... That is why the BJP loses, and the Trinamool defeats them," he told reporters on Tuesday, reported news agency ANI.

West Bengal sports minister resigns

Abhishek Banerjee's remarks come after West Bengal's sports minister Aroop Biswas resigned on Tuesday over the fiasco at the the Salt Lake stadium during Messi's GOAT India Tour on Saturday, December 13.

Biswas asked chief minister Mamata Banerjee to relieve him of his responsibility as the state's sports minister in a handwritten letter so as to ensure an impartial probe into the incident, following which, a minister said that Biswas's request was accepted by the CM.

“Until and unless the impartial inquiry is over, the Sports Department will be looked after by me for the time being,” read an official statement from Mamata Banerjee's office.

"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," read an official statement from the state government.

On December 13, massive crowd took over the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata where Messi kickstarted his GOAT India tour. However, chaos followed after the fans said they did not get a proper glimpse of the football icon even though they had paid steep prices for tickets. The crowd expressed its anger by vandalising the stadium, including breaking chairs and throwing water bottles.

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