KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accepted the resignation of her cabinet colleague Aroop Biswas from the sports and youth affairs portfolio following widespread criticism over alleged mismanagement at the Salt Lake Stadium during an event featuring legendary footballer Lionel Messi on December 13.
The Chief Minister will hold charge of the sports and youth affairs department until a new minister is appointed, sources said. Biswas, who was handling both the power and sports departments, will continue as the state’s power minister.
The ruling Trinamool Congress and the state government have been facing mounting criticism from across the country after chaos erupted at the high-profile event.
Thousands of aggrieved football fans ran amok and clashed with police after the Argentine star could barely be seen from the stands, as he was surrounded by a phalanx of people, including Aroop Biswas.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Biswas, a trusted lieutenant of Mamata Banerjee and a heavyweight minister in the Trinamool Congress, stated that he wished to tender his resignation from the sports and youth affairs portfolio in the interest of a free and fair investigation.
On December 15, he formally wrote to the Chief Minister seeking to be relieved of the sports portfolio. He urged the Chief Minister to accept his resignation, Trinamool Congress sources confirmed on Tuesday.
As criticism against the ruling party and its leaders, particularly Aroop Biswas and Sujit Bose, the state fire services minister, continued to mount after the Salt Lake Stadium fiasco, the state government on Tuesday took administrative action.
It issued show-cause notices to Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Mukesh Kumar, and three other senior officials. The officials include Rajesh Sinha, a senior bureaucrat in charge of the sports and youth affairs department.
The notices sought explanations within 24 hours on “why such mismanagement and lapses happened in the stadium on that day”.
In a press statement issued by the state secretariat, Nabanna, the government also sought clarifications from the officials on “why proper coordination with concerned stakeholders, including the private organiser, was not carried out so as to ensure smooth conduct of the event.”
The administrative action followed a preliminary inquiry report submitted by a probe committee headed by Justice Asim Kumar Roy, a retired judge of the Calcutta High Court.
Hours after the incident, when thousands of fans went on a rampage inside the stadium soon after the Argentine icon left the ground within 20 minutes, the Chief Minister had announced the formation of the committee to probe the incident.
According to Trinamool Congress insiders, Biswas was compelled to step aside from the sports and youth affairs department as the Salt Lake Stadium episode landed both the government and the party in serious trouble, particularly with the Assembly elections scheduled in the state next year.