Mamata Banerjee Accepts Aroop Biswas’s Resignation as Sports Minister After Messi Event Row

Kolkata, December 16, 2025: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Aroop Biswas as the state’s sports minister following the controversy over alleged mismanagement during football icon Lionel Messi’s visit to Kolkata last week, a senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader 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 and retain charge of the power department. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh confirmed that the resignation had been accepted and said Mamata Banerjee would now directly oversee the sports and youth welfare portfolio.

The decision comes in the aftermath of widespread criticism over the chaos that unfolded at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, popularly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, on December 13, when Messi made a brief appearance. Angry spectators, alleging mismanagement, crowd control failures and security lapses, resorted to vandalism inside the stadium after the Argentine star exited the field. Officials later estimated the damage to property at around ₹2 crore.

Biswas had written to the chief minister on Monday, stating that he wanted to step aside from the sports portfolio to ensure a “neutral” and unhindered probe into the incident. Although he held charge of both the sports and youth welfare department and the power department, his request was limited to relinquishing the sports ministry. Even after the acceptance of his resignation from that post, he remains part of the state cabinet, sources said.

Ghosh had earlier shared on social media what he described as a copy of Biswas’s letter dated December 15, offering to resign in view of the controversy. The development initially led to some political confusion, with Ghosh later clarifying that the final decision rested with the chief minister. On Tuesday evening, he confirmed that Mamata Banerjee had accepted the resignation.

Following Biswas’s move, senior officials of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department were summoned to the state secretariat, Nabanna, on Tuesday. The controversy further intensified after images and videos circulated widely on social media showing Biswas in close proximity to Messi during the event. Football fans and sections of the public accused the former sports minister of crowding the star player, even as spectators struggled to get a clear view.

As the visuals went viral, criticism mounted both publicly and within political circles, fuelling speculation over whether Biswas would be divested of his responsibilities or step down voluntarily. Some party insiders said there had been an expectation among Biswas’s associates that the issue might be overshadowed by the publication of West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls under the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on Tuesday. However, Biswas acted swiftly, writing to the chief minister even before the EC’s formal announcement, and his resignation was accepted the same day.

The acceptance of the resignation coincided with a series of administrative actions based on the preliminary findings of a high-level inquiry committee constituted to probe the lapses during the Messi event. The committee submitted its initial report and recommendations at Nabanna on Monday night.

Acting on these findings, the state government on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar and Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Mukesh Kumar, seeking explanations within 24 hours on why the situation spiralled out of control. Bidhannagar Deputy Police Commissioner Aneesh Sarkar has been suspended pending a departmental inquiry, officials said. Show-cause notices were also issued to state sports secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, while Dev Kumar Nandan, the CEO of Yuba Bharati Krirangan, was removed from his post.

A Special Investigation Team has been formed to conduct a detailed probe into the incident, following the inquiry committee’s recommendations, according to an official statement from the office of Chief Secretary Manoj Pant. The scale and speed of the administrative action underline the government’s attempt to demonstrate accountability amid opposition attacks and public outrage.

Opposition parties have intensified their criticism, demanding responsibility to be fixed at the highest levels over what they described as a serious failure in planning and execution of a marquee international event. Ghosh, however, praised the chief minister’s approach, asserting that such accountability was possible only under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership.

Repeated attempts to contact Aroop Biswas for comment were unsuccessful, and he has not made any public statement since submitting his resignation letter.