Strong winds on Monday caused the 70-foot-tall statue of footballer Lionel Messi near the Lake Town Clock Tower crossing on VIP Road to sway, triggering concern among local residents.
They alleged that the structure could collapse at any moment, posing a serious threat to pedestrians and motorists passing through the busy crossing. Local residents have filed a complaint at the Lake Town Police Station and demanded that the statue be demolished or shifted immediately to avoid any accident.
An entrepreneur working in a commercial building a hundred feet away from the location of the statue posted a video online showing the statue swaying.
He said, “My office is right behind, and we have been noticing this for the past few weeks. Today, I took a video and posted it on a Lake Town community group. Someone picked it up from there and notified the concerned authorities,” he said.
According to the weather office, the wind speed recorded in Kolkata was around 24.1kmph, which is considered to be a moderate breeze on Beaufort scale. It is not a dangerous or storm-level wind.
Two police officers were deployed in the area to keep a watch on the statue. One of them said, “There was some issue with loose screws. It has been fixed. We are keeping an eye. There is no notification on demolition yet.”
The installation has drawn criticism, especially on social media, with users commenting on its lack of resemblance to the footballer
A mason working near the site said that the movement was visible from the base of the structure. “From the feet to the body, the statue is shaking. Something seems to be cracked. The entire statue is shaking. If the strong winds continue, it may even fall,” he said.
The 70-foot Messi statue on VIP Road was virtually unveiled by the legend on December 13, 2025. The World Cup replica held by the statue is eight feet high, taller than the Argentine star himself.
The installation has drawn criticism, especially on social media, with users commenting on its lack of resemblance to the footballer. It was conceptualised by former MLA Sujit Bose (now in enforcement directorate custody for municipal recruitment scam) and built by Kumartuli sculptor Monti Paul.
Earlier this year, a high court division bench led by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul has sought a report from the state on whether the statues of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona in Lake Town have been erected on government land in alleged violation of norms.