Kolkata, June 4: Former West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas was summoned for questioning by the police earlier this week. This inquiry is related to an FIR filed concerning vandalism during Lionel Messi’s “Greatest of All Time India Tour” at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake on December 13 last year. Instead of appearing for questioning on Thursday, Biswas requested a 14-day extension.
The Bidhannagar (South) police station in North 24 Parganas had issued a notice to Biswas on June 2, asking him to appear for questioning on June 5. This case involves a former minister from the previous state government led by Mamata Banerjee.
However, on Thursday afternoon, just a day before the scheduled date, he sent a letter to the Bidhannagar (South) police station. In this letter, he cited medical reasons and requested an additional 14 days to appear for questioning. The letter was sent via a messenger, and he also attached a medical certificate to support his claim.
At the time of this report, it was unclear whether the Bidhannagar police would accept his request for a 14-day extension.
Arup Biswas, who has served as a four-time MLA from the Tollygunge constituency, was defeated this time by BJP candidate Papiya Adhikari by a margin of over 6,000 votes. Adhikari is a former actress who entered politics.
The police registered the FIR on May 30 based on a complaint filed by Shatadru Dutta, the main organizer of the Messi event, on May 17.
Welcoming this action, Dutta told reporters that the police are moving in the right direction to identify those responsible for the disruptions during Messi’s event last December.
Previously, during the tenure of the Trinamool Congress, the police had arrested Dutta in connection with the Yuba Bharati incident, although he was later released on bail.
On May 17, Dutta filed a written complaint against Biswas and several others, which led to the FIR against the former minister by the Bidhannagar (South) police station.
After the FIR was registered on May 30, Dutta expressed gratitude to West Bengal’s current Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state’s sports minister, and the Director General of Police, Siddh Nath Gupta.
In his complaint, Dutta alleged that Biswas was involved in the black marketing of approximately 22,000 tickets for the Messi event. Based on these allegations, the Bidhannagar (South) police have initiated an investigation. Additionally, the new sports minister, Nishith Pramanik, has stated that he will review the files related to the irregularities during the Messi event.
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