Calcutta: From blows to bouquets, it just took about 24 hours for the transformation. East Bengal and Southern Samity — Raghu Nandi to be precise — resolved their dispute on Monday evening, a day after both the parties were involved in a brawl at the Barasat Stadium.

It was a dramatic turn of events, considering the stance Nandi and Samity had taken earlier. Even on Monday morning, Samity filed a general diary with the Barasat Police Station against East Bengal manager Manish Banerjee and fan Tilak Das, who were accused of manhandling Nandi, the technical director of Samity, after Sunday’s CFL match. But on Monday evening, all ill feelings vapourised, leaving just smiles on the faces of the concerned people.

The initiative was taken by East Bengal and they must be complimented for that. According to general secretary Kalyan Majumdar, the club approached ‘someone’ to play the mediator. Though Majumdar didn’t name anyone, sources confirmed the mediator to be Trinamul Congress leader Sachidananda Banerjee. Interestingly, however, Banerjee is also the chief patron of Samity.

Nandi, along with other Samity officials, including Sourav Pal, who was very vocal in his protests on Sunday, visited the East Bengal tent on Monday evening.

After the half-an-hour meeting, Nandi said that he was happy with the dispute being resolved. “It happened in the heat of the moment… I love East Bengal, I have played here during my playing days… So I’m happy that everything is over now,” Nandi said.

Asked if he admits that he had provoked the fans with his abusive gestures, Nandi said: “We are all human beings… If I’ve committed a mistake, I should rectify it.”

Pal informed that with the matter solved, the police complaint would be withdrawn.

On East Bengal’s behalf, Majumdar said: “We’ve always taken initiatives to change the prevailing uncomfortable culture at the football grounds here, in this city... So we condemn the incidents that took place on Sunday.”