Kolkata: A day after an FIR was registered against former state sports minister Aroop Biswas and others in connection with the Lionel Messi GOAT India Tour controversy at Salt Lake Stadium, Bidhannagar Police has begun the process of issuing summons asking him to join the investigation.A senior officer said Bidhannagar South police station, which booked Biswas and his associates under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation and extortion, is likely to call him for questioning this week.The FIR was registered on Saturday night after a preliminary inquiry into a complaint lodged by event organiser Satadru Dutta on May 17. Dutta alleged that Biswas demanded a large number of complimentary tickets and accreditation cards and threatened to stall the event if the demands were not met. He claimed that around 22,000 complimentary tickets were forcibly taken and later sold in the black market.In his complaint, Dutta also alleged that Biswas misused his influence to facilitate the entry of unauthorised persons onto the pitch, leading to the harassment of football star Lionel Messi. According to him, the incident prompted Messi to leave the venue early, disappointing thousands of spectators and triggering unrest at the stadium.Several fans were arrested in the aftermath and so was Dutta, who spent 38 days in jail.Reacting to the FIR, Dutta posted on X on Sunday that it was “justice for every football fan” and accused the former minister and his associates of damaging Bengal’s image. Biswas could not be reached for comment.
