Sports promoter Shatadru Dutta has been denied bail and remanded to 14 days of police custody. He was the main organiser behind Lionel Messi’s India visit and was arrested by West Bengal Police on Saturday while trying to board Messi’s chartered flight.
An FIR was filed against him for provocation to riot and damage to stadium property. He was produced before the Bidhannagar sub-divisional court, where tension erupted outside as people shouted slogans and threw sandals. Shatadru’s lawyer argued he was not responsible for the chaos, but the court rejected the bail plea.
His arrest came after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an inquiry panel. The committee, chaired by retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Ashim Kumar Ray and including Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakravorty, inspected the stadium, documented damage, and traced Messi’s movement inside the venue.