More trouble for former Bengal minister Aroop Biswas as Messi team blames him for chaos

In the letter, Dutta’s team stated that Biswas “entered the field with unauthorised personnel and got involved in activities that were not part of the scheduled programme”.

“During Messi’s appearance at the stadium, the approved protocol of there being no dignitaries on the field and only three camera operators was disrupted when the then Sports Minister entered the field of play and became involved in activities that were not part of the scheduled programme. This included repeated unscheduled interactions and physical contact with Messi, including placing hands on his shoulder and around his waist for photographs. These actions, together with the presence of several other unauthorised individuals and approximately 40 unaccredited photographers and camera operators in restricted areas, disrupted the agreed events planned for the visit and created concerns regarding Messi’s security, comfort, and personal space and made it impossible for him to interact with the individuals planned on the stadium field,” read the letter.

“I wish to categorically clarify that Messi’s early departure was purely a consequence of unauthorised personnel becoming involved on the field and trying to alter the agreed plans. In my opinion the unfortunate decision to have to terminate the event early was not in the control of the event promoter Satadru Dutta, and he was not responsible for this. Rather, it was a precautionary measure necessitated by the breach of event protocol and security arrangements on the ground by parties that were not part of the original event plan. As you may know we had no other security issues at any other stadium event on the tour where each visit was successfully completed as per the agenda for the event and the agreed event and security protocols,” read the letter.

Biswas has skipped police summons thrice in connection with the matter.

Following an inquiry into the matter, the Bidhannagar Police had registered an FIR against Biswas and others under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 318(4) (dishonestly persuading the victim to hand over property or money), Section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation), Section 308(1) (extortion), and Section 3(5) (joint liability).