Broken plastic seats and water bottles lie scattered on the track and field in the aftermath of chaos during an event featuring Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, at Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata (R) and Messi showered in confetti during the 'GOAT India Tour 2025', at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI photos
Kolkata: A court in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Monday granted bail to Satadru Dutta, the organiser of the botched-up Messi event in the city last month.
Dutta was arrested on December 13 last year over alleged mismanagement in the Salt Lake stadium event on that day.
The judge of the Bidhannagar additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) granted bail to Dutta, the owner of the event management company that organised the event that descended into chaos on December 13.
The court granted bail to him on a bond of Rs 20,000 and two sureties of like amount.
Dutta, also accused of entering into contracts with food and beverage suppliers without prior government approval, was in judicial custody after being in police remand initially.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium on December 13 after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, leaving large sections of the crowd frustrated.
Angry fans, many of whom had paid Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,000 -- and in some cases up to Rs 20,000 in the black market -- for the event, indulged in vandalism at the venue after failing to get even a glimpse of their favourite superstar from Argentina.