Kolkata police on Sunday disclosed staggering financial losses exceeding Rs 23 crore linked to the recent Lionel Messi event held at the Salt Lake stadium. The figures include significant damage to infrastructure and losses suffered by vendors, painting a picture of severe mismanagement. The event's manager, Satadru Dutta, saw his bail plea rejected by the ACJM court in Bidhannagar and was remanded to judicial custody until January 9.
Breakdown of the Massive Financial Loss
According to police estimates presented in court, the total loss has crossed the Rs 23 crore mark. A detailed breakdown shows that nearly Rs 4 crore was attributed to damages inflicted on the stadium's infrastructure and losses incurred by vendors operating at the venue. The primary revenue from the event came from ticket sales, with 34,576 tickets sold, fetching over Rs 19 crore.
Representing the Bidhannagar Police, lawyer Bivas Chatterjee informed the court that spectators also faced losses due to the chaos. He argued that Dutta's actions were directly responsible for the financial debacle. "Apart from damage to infrastructure at the stadium, damage to the vendors, viewers suffered losses too. Total loss has exceeded Rs 23 crore, and Dutta's mismanagement is responsible for that," Chatterjee stated.
Allegations of Intentional Mismanagement
The prosecution levelled serious allegations against Satadru Dutta, claiming he deliberately avoided hiring a professional event management agency to "usurp the money." Chatterjee highlighted a critical discrepancy in Dutta's actions. "While he entered into an agreement with the state govt on Dec 12, 2025, he clinched deals with other vendors much before that," the lawyer said.
Further accusations included Dutta intentionally allowing food and water bottles inside the venue against regulations and unlawfully entering the football pitch. "We already have proof of unlawful gains," Chatterjee asserted, opposing the bail plea on grounds that Dutta is influential and the investigation is still preliminary. Since Dutta's arrest on December 14, police have recorded statements from 21 key witnesses.
Defence Arguments and Judicial Outcome
Dutta's defence, led by lawyer Soumyajit Raha, presented a contrasting narrative. Raha argued that Dutta had obtained all necessary permissions and no-objection certificates prior to the event. He claimed that while certain issues led to vandalism and chaos, Dutta did not breach any commitment to spectators and actively tried to pacify the crowd.
Raha also pointed to the successful execution of other events on the "GOAT India Tour" in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi by the same company. Chatterjee countered this, clarifying that professional agencies were indeed engaged for those shows, but not for the Kolkata leg. Raha further contended that crowd control and security were primarily the responsibility of the police and administration, noting that Messi had Z-category security and there was no prior intelligence about planned chaos.
Despite these arguments, ACJM Abhijeet Pakhrin rejected the bail application. Dutta, who appeared in court with a Gita in hand, was sent to judicial custody. The case underscores the severe repercussions of alleged poor planning and financial irregularities in large-scale celebrity events in India.
