Messi event row deepens: Police issue fresh summons to Aroop Biswas

The Bidhannagar South Police Station has issued a fresh notice to former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas, directing him to appear for questioning by Monday in connection with an FIR linked to alleged vandalism and irregularities during Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour event at Salt Lake's Yuva Bharati Krirangan last December.

The latest notice is the second issued to the four-time Trinamool Congress legislator. Police had earlier summoned Biswas on 2 June, asking him to appear on 5 June. However, the former minister sought a 14-day extension on medical grounds and submitted a medical certificate in support of his request.

Investigators have now asked him to present himself for interrogation on 8 June afternoon as the probe gathers pace.

The FIR was registered on 30 May following a complaint lodged by event organiser Satadru Dutta on 17 May. In his complaint, Dutta accused Biswas and others of involvement in vandalism at the stadium and alleged that nearly 22,000 tickets for the high-profile Messi event were black-marketed.

Based on those allegations, police launched an investigation into the controversy surrounding the much-publicised football event.

Dutta had earlier been arrested during the previous Trinamool Congress regime in connection with the same Yuva Bharati incident before being released on bail. After the FIR was registered, he publicly thanked leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, current sports minister Nishith Pramanik and director general of police Sidh Nath Gupta for enabling what he described as a fair investigation.

The development comes amid increasing pressure on the Biswas family. Aroop Biswas's younger brother, Swarup Biswas, was recently arrested on separate charges including corruption, extortion and alleged misconduct towards women working in the Bengali film industry. A Kolkata court on Saturday remanded him to 14 days of police custody.

The Messi event controversy has also drawn political attention after sports minister Nishith Pramanik indicated that the state government would reopen files related to the alleged irregularities surrounding the tour.

Police are expected to question Aroop Biswas about the allegations contained in Dutta's complaint and his alleged role in the events that unfolded at Yuva Bharati Krirangan during the Messi tour.

With IANS inputs