Violence at Lionel Messi event: BJP's Suvendu Adhikari moves Calcutta High Court for SIT probe

At least two petitions have been moved before the Calcutta High Court seeking an impartial and court-monitored probe into the chaos witnessed recently at the Salt Lake Stadium during football icon Lionel Messi's visit..The petitions are listed for consideration before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen on December 18.Among those who have approached the Court include Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari, who has alleged that there was a grave administrative failure, State complicity and breakdown of constitutional governance in connection with the high-profile public event held on December 13 at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan."Though projected as a private initiative, the event was conducted with active involvement and facilitation of the State and its instrumentalities, as evident from the deployment of State police machinery, use of public infrastructure and preferential access granted to political functionaries, dignitaries, celebrities and family members of the Hon'ble Chief Minister, to the exclusion and detriment of ordinary ticket-holding citizens," Adhikari said in the plea. .Messi is currently on a tour of India. According to media reports, angry fans attending his event at Kolkata ripped up seats and threw items towards the pitch after his appearance as they were unable to catch a propel glimpse of the star despite paying a substantial entry fee.BBC reported that when Messi emerged to walk around the pitch, he was obscured by a large group of officials and celebrities."When the Argentina and Inter Miami forward was whisked away early by security after around 20 minutes, elements of the crowd turned hostile," the report said.The State government has constituted an enquiry committee, led by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Ray, to probe the disorder..However, Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, in his petition has demanded that the inquiry instead be undertaken by an impartial Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of a High Court judge and monitoring of the High Court.Adhikari has also sought directions for refund of the amount paid by the spectators, and demanded a compensation for the harassment caused to them.In a similar petition, social worker Mayukh Biswas has prayed for investigations by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the event organizer Satadru Dutta as well as two ministers of West Bengal government..Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.