Messi event fiasco: Aroop Biswas's resignation as West Bengal sports minister accepted; CM to hold charge

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Aroop Biswas's resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event recently, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.

Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.

The chief minister has decided to keep the Sports and Youth Welfare Department under her own charge for the time being, Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has expressed his desire to step down from his position in the wake of the recent controversy over the "mismanagement" of the Lionel Messi event at the Salt Lake Stadium, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on Tuesday.

In a Facebook post, Ghosh shared what he described as a copy of a resignation letter written by Biswas to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as the state's Sports Minister.

The development came amid mounting criticism and political backlash over the alleged mismanagement and security lapses during the high-profile football event at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, also known as Salt Lake Stadium, on December 13, in which angry spectators resorted to indiscriminate rampage and clashed with the police, causing an estimated damage of Rs 2 crore of stadium furniture.

"Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting to be relieved of the responsibility of the sports department," Ghosh said in his post, attributing the move to the controversy triggered by the Messi event fiasco.

However, the letter shared by the TMC leader was not on Biswas's official letterhead, raising questions in political circles over its formal status.

Repeated calls and messages to Biswas went unanswered.

There was also no immediate confirmation from the Chief Minister's Office on whether the resignation request had been accepted.

Biswas, a senior TMC leader and close associate of the chief minister, has not made any public statement on the matter so far.

The state government had previously constituted a high-level enquiry committee to probe the alleged lapses during the event, which drew massive crowds but ended amid chaos and protests by spectators.

Based on the committee's recommendations, heads have rolled, with the state government issuing show-cause notices to the DGP, Bidhannagar Police Commissioner, state sports secretary, while simultaneously suspending a senior IPS officer and terminating the services of the stadium CEO.

Opposition parties have been demanding accountability, with the sports department coming under sharp scrutiny following the incident.

Official sources said there was no clarity yet on the future course of action regarding Biswas's request.