Kolkata, August 11: The Kolkata High Court‘s single bench has extended interim protection for former West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas until November 30. This decision comes in light of his involvement in alleged irregularities during Lionel Messi’s ‘Goat India Tour’ event.
The event took place on December 13, 2025, at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake, where chaos erupted due to difficulties in managing the crowd. Messi had to leave the venue prematurely for safety reasons. Initially, Biswas was granted interim protection until August 17, but Justice Sougata Bhattacharya’s bench has now extended this relief, providing significant comfort to the former minister.
Argentinian football star Lionel Messi arrived in Kolkata on December 13, 2025. His visit led to pandemonium at the Yuba Bharati Sports Complex. Biswas was present throughout the event, along with his close associates, which left fans who purchased expensive tickets frustrated as they struggled to catch a glimpse of the footballer. Subsequently, angry spectators vandalized the stadium, forcing Messi to exit within minutes.
Following this incident, Arup Biswas faced severe criticism, ultimately leading to his resignation from the position of Sports Minister. In response to a previous order from the Kolkata High Court, an independent investigation is underway to ascertain Biswas’s role in the events that unfolded that day.
Notably, last week, the West Bengal Police requested additional time from the Kolkata High Court to submit a report detailing what transpired at the Salt Lake Stadium on that day.
Biswas, a four-time Trinamool Congress MLA from the Tollygunge constituency, recently lost in the assembly elections. He has been a trusted ally of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and is now aligned with a faction of the Trinamool Congress led by MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, known as the ‘rebellious yet majority’ group.
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