Lionel Messi fiasco: Aroop Biswas handed 3rd police summons after Calcutta High Court order

3 min readKolkataJun 13, 2026 01:57 PM IST

The police have asked Aroop Biswas to appear in person at the Bidhannagar South police station within 48 hours of receipt of the summons. (Image source: Wikipedia)

Three days after the Calcutta High Court granted interim protection to Aroop Biswas while allowing the police to carry on with the investigation into the 2025 Lionel Messi chaos incident, the Kolkata police on Saturday issued its third summons to the former sports minister.

The police have asked Biswas to appear in person at the Bidhannagar South police station within 48 hours of receipt of the summons. Meanwhile, Biswas, who had allegedly threatened and extorted passes from event organiser Satadru Dutta for the Messi event at Salt Lake Stadium, is currently untraceable and has not responded to the latest summons either.

In its June 10 order, the High Court said: “The petitioner (Biswas) shall comply with the notices and appear before the agency on a fixed date and time. Failing such compliance, the state can bring this to the notice of the court for appropriate order.”

The court also ordered that no coercive steps be taken against Biswas in the case without the court’s permission till August 17, which means that Biswas cannot be arrested even if he appears before the police.

First incident of relief to any top TMC leader

This is the first incident of relief given by the High Court to any top TMC leader since the crackdown began on them after their massive electoral loss. Many top leaders have been jailed in the past month.

The Messi case file was reopened immediately after the change of government in West Bengal, based on a complaint by Satadru Dutta on May 17. Shatadru has accused the former sports minister of black-marketing of tickets, extortion, criminal intimidation, negligence in security arrangements for Messi’s event, fraud, and related offences.

He alleged that Messi and his team left the field after spending just 15 to 20 minutes in the venue, due to the mismanagement allegedly caused by politicians and ministers.

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The event held in December 2025 at the Salt Lake stadium ended in massive chaos and vandalism.

Shatadru has accused the former sports minister of black-marketing of tickets, extortion, criminal intimidation, negligence in security arrangements for Messi’s event, fraud, and related offences.

2 police summonses and no response

Based on that complaint, the police had instructed Biswas to appear at Bidhannagar South Police Station on June 4. However, he contacted the police informing them that he was unwell and therefore would not be able to appear within the next two weeks. But the police were unwilling to grant Biswas even that much time.

He was then asked to appear by 11 am on June 8, and the police pasted two notices at the former minister’s residence the previous day. The notices clearly stated that the Trinamool leader had failed to provide any medical proof of the physical illness he had cited as the reason for his absence. Biswas did not appear in person for the second time, nor did he inform the police through his lawyer. In the meantime, Aroop had sought anticipatory bail in the Barasat court, which was rejected, and faced a similar setback in the Calcutta High Court too. However, the police would not be able to take strict measures such as arrest. Biswas cannot leave the state without the court’s permission.

Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.

Experience

Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.

Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.

Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.

Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.

Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.

Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.

Education

Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.

Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.

Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.

Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More

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Calcutta High Court

Lionel Messi