Former sports and youth affairs minister Aroop Biswas has moved court for anticipatory bail in connection with an FIR registered against him over Lionel Messi’s Calcutta event last year that ended in a fiasco.
Biswas, who has been charged under sections of cheating, extortion, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy and common intention, submitted his prayer before the Barasat court on Monday.
The court has admitted the plea, and the hearing is expected sometime this week.
The move came two days after Bidhannagar City Police converted event organiser Satadru Dutta’s complaint into an FIR and named Biswas as the prime accused.
Sources in the state home department said the complaint lodged on May 19 at Bidhannagar (south) police station was turned into an FIR on May 30 after Dutta met senior officials of the state government.
Police sources said the preliminary investigation revealed that while organising the programme, Dutta was “threatened and extorted by then sports minister Aroop Biswas, who demanded a large number of complimentary tickets/accreditation cards and threatened him that failing to fulfil the demand, he would not be able to organise the programme”.
Biswas, according to the police, “forcefully took around 22,000 complimentary tickets from the complainant, and they were later sold in the black market”.
“These complimentary tickets were sold by the
former minister and his agents for dishonest and wrongful gain at a high price,” an officer said.
Calls and a text message sent to Biswas on Monday went unanswered.
The police said Biswas allegedly issued threats of “dire consequences” to Dutta after he refused to provide excess tickets, and again when Dutta requested him not to touch Messi during the live programme.
The police said Biswas allegedly issued threats of “dire consequences” to Dutta after he refused to provide excess tickets, and again when Dutta requested him not to touch Messi during the live programme.
Dutta has told the police that after his arrest on December 13, he was allegedly pressured not to implicate several other individuals.
He also stated that he did not initially have the courage to report Biswas, as he believed he would not receive support from the state administration.
“He mentioned in his complaint that Aroop Biswas and others who had deliberately intruded into the field of play on December 3, 2025 in a completely unauthorised manner not only derailed the event but also led to vandalisation of public property inside the stadium,” a senior Bidhannagar police officer said, quoting Dutta.
Hundreds of people reportedly broke through the security cordon around Messi and came dangerously close to the Argentine star, triggering serious security concerns.
Biswas was seen touching Messi several times, largely for photographs and to facilitate access for family members and acquaintances.