Messi Kolkata event chaos: Organiser Satadru Dutta denied bail, sent to judicial custody till January 9

The Bidhannagar Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) on Sunday rejected the bail application of Satadru Dutta, the organizer of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour, in connection with the chaos that erupted during the footballer’s Kolkata event.

Dutta had moved the bail application after the completion of his police custody period. However, the court rejected his plea and remanded him to judicial custody till January 9, 2026.

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Public Prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee said, “They filed a bail application citing medical grounds and several other points, including lack of liability. We countered each argument by presenting documentary evidence from the guest diary. After considering all aspects, the court rejected the bail application and sent him to judicial custody till January 9.”

The event, held at Salt Lake Stadium earlier this month, descended into chaos after angry fans allegedly resorted to vandalism, throwing bottles and chairs when they failed to get a proper glimpse of the footballer, who left the venue early.

Fans alleged that they had paid up to ₹20,000 for tickets, but claimed that VIPs monopolized the footballer’s time, leaving the general audience disappointed.

Following the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee issued a public apology and ordered an inquiry. Dutta was subsequently arrested for alleged mismanagement of the event.

The incident sparked widespread criticism of the West Bengal government and led to the resignation of State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas.

The state government also constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar and Muralidhar to conduct a detailed probe into the matter.