Kolkata: The Bidhannagar commissionerate has issued a third notice to Trinamool functionary and former minister Aroop Biswas in connection with the controversy surrounding the Lionel Messi “GOAT India Tour” event held at Salt Lake Stadium on Dec 13 last year, officials said on Saturday.According to police, Biswas has been directed to appear before Bidhannagar South Police Station within 48 hours as part of the ongoing investigation.The development comes three days after the high court ordered no coercive action against Biswas till Aug 17 in this case. The “interim protection” for Biswas, however, came with riders that he will have to submit his passport to the jurisdictional court within seven days, he cannot leave the city without taking the court’s permission and, more importantly, he will have to appear for the summons, to be served at least 48 hours earlier, and cooperate with the investigating agency for a “meaningful” probe.The director general and inspector general of police (DG&IGP) of Bengal was also directed to submit other criminal proceedings, which may be pending against Biswas.Sources said Bidhannagar police had mailed the summons to New Alipore police earlier this week, who in turn had served it to Biswas’ home.The Bidhannagar police had earlier intensified its probe into the case and visited Biswas’s New Alipore residence last week. During that visit, officers issued two notices asking him to appear for questioning, with personnel from Kolkata Police assisting in the operation to ensure the notices were served.Officials said that after repeated attempts to contact him went unanswered, police pasted the notices on the gates of his residence, instructing him to appear at Bidhannagar South Police Station by 11 am on June 8.That was not the first time Biswas has been summoned in the case. He was earlier asked to appear on June 4 but did not comply with the directive. He cited ill health for not appearing before the police on June 4 but did not provide any supporting documents.The case stems from a complaint filed on May 17 by Shatadru Dutta, the main organiser of the Messi tour, at Bidhannagar South Police Station. Biswas has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, or BNS, including criminal conspiracy, extortion, cheating, criminal intimidation and joint liability.The complaint alleges that the former sports minister was involved in a network of ticket black marketing, extortion and fraud, and also failed in ensuring proper security arrangements at Salt Lake Stadium during the event.Referring to the media photographs of Messi, held by the waist by Biswas, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya asked Kishore Datta, counsel of the former sports and youth minister: “Look at the photograph, is this person not your client? Does it not breach the security of the soccer legend? How can he do this? Is he Messi’s childhood friend? Spreading his hands around Messi’s waist. How did he do this? We, the residents of Kolkata, felt ashamed because of this Messi incident fiasco.”
