Kolkata, June 7: Former West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas is facing increasing legal troubles. The Bidhannagar (South) police in North 24 Parganas have issued him a new notice related to Lionel Messi’s ‘Goat India Tour.’
The police have instructed Biswas to appear at the Bidhannagar (South) police station by Monday. This is the second notice sent to the former minister regarding this case.
On June 2, the police had issued the first notice, requesting his presence by June 5. However, on June 4, Biswas sent a written message to the police station, requesting a 14-day extension to appear for questioning due to medical reasons. He attached a medical certificate to support his claims of physical illness.
On Sunday, investigators sent him a new notice, requiring him to report to the Bidhannagar (South) police station for questioning by the afternoon of June 8.
Previously, his younger brother, Swaroop Biswas, had been arrested on charges of corruption, extortion, and misconduct involving female support staff in the Bengali film industry. A lower court in Kolkata remanded Swaroop Biswas to 14 days of police custody on Saturday.
Arup Biswas, a four-time MLA from the Tollygunge constituency of the Trinamool Congress, was defeated this time by BJP candidate and actress-turned-politician Papiya Adhikari by over 6,000 votes.
The police registered an FIR on May 30, based on a complaint filed by Satadru Dutta, the main organizer of the Messi event, on May 17. Dutta alleged that Biswas was involved in the black marketing of approximately 22,000 tickets for the event. Following this allegation, the Bidhannagar (South) police initiated an investigation. Notably, the new Sports Minister, Nishith Pramanik, had mentioned reopening the file on irregularities related to the Messi event after taking office.
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