Event organiser Satadru Dutta disclosed to investigators that Argentine football star Lionel Messi received Rs 89 crore for his India tour, with an additional Rs 11 crore paid as tax to the Indian government, according to a Special Investigation Team source on Saturday. The revelation came as authorities continue probing the December 13 chaos at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium that forced Messi's early departure and sparked widespread vandalism.

Police have seized over Rs 20 crore from Dutta's frozen bank accounts, though investigators are questioning his claims about the event's funding, according to a Times of India report. Dutta stated that 30 per cent of the tour's costs came from sponsors and another 30 per cent from ticket sales, leaving questions about the remaining 40 per cent of expenditure.

Security Collapse Led to Early Exit

Dutta told the Special Investigation Team that Messi "did not like being touched on the back or being hugged," a concern conveyed in advance by the footballer's foreign security officials. "Despite repeated public announcements to restrain the crowd, there was no impact. The manner in which Messi was surrounded and embraced was completely unacceptable to the World Cup-winning footballer," Dutta told investigators during questioning on Friday.

The organiser also claimed that initially only 150 ground passes were issued, but this number tripled when a "very influential person" reached the stadium and "overpowered him," according to PTI reports. Former Sports Minister Aroop Biswas was seen in close proximity to Messi throughout the program, with visuals showing him holding the footballer around the waist while posing for photographs. Biswas resigned from his post as sports minister on December 16 pending completion of the investigation.

Questions Over Investigation Progress

Seven days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appointed a committee headed by retired Justice Asim Kumar Roy to investigate the incident, no influential figures have been summoned despite allegations, according to media reports. Questions are being raised about whether Biswas will face the probe despite tendering his resignation.

However, state government sources said on Saturday that the administration has taken a tough stance, clarifying that "no one is above the investigation" and that the roles of ministers, top police officials, and bureaucrats will be examined if necessary.

The West Bengal government has constituted a Special Investigation Team comprising senior IPS officers Piyush Pandey, Javed Shamim, Supratim Sarkar, and Muralidhar to conduct a thorough investigation into the vandalism and security lapses.