Kolkata, 11 May 2025 — Event organiser Satadru Dutta has attributed the crowd disorder and security breaches surrounding Lionel Messi's appearance at the GOAT India Tour 2025 in Kolkata to a systemic failure by local law enforcement and security agencies. Dutta alleged that despite meticulous advance planning and multiple pre-event briefings with police officials, the Z-category and Z-plus security protocols mandated by the Home Ministry were not properly executed on the ground.

What the organiser said

Speaking to reporters, Dutta stated that the event had been organised under stringent protocols due to the presence of multiple high-profile attendees, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, actor Shah Rukh Khan, and former cricketer Sourav Ganguly. "It's a complete failure of police, it's a complete failure of Z category security, Z plus security," Dutta said, adding that Chief Minister Banerjee, as the chief guest, was scheduled to enter the stadium within five minutes of the event's start.

Security arrangements and advance coordination

Dutta revealed that his team had conducted 16 to 20 meetings with police and security officials prior to the event. He stated that detailed show-flow documentation, accreditation protocols, and access restrictions had been formally shared with law enforcement. According to Dutta, proximity cards were issued to restrict access around Messi to just 8 to 10 authorised personnel, and the entire event had been planned down to the second. "Each second by second was divided," he explained.

Pre-event briefings with senior officials

Dutta disclosed that three days before the programme, he had personally travelled to the office of the Director General of Police along with the Commissioner of Police, Bidhan Nagar, and the Additional Director General of Law and Order. During this meeting, the show flow, podium arrangements, and field-of-play protocols were discussed in detail.

The incident and its fallout

The event later came under intense scrutiny after crowd disorder and alleged breaches of security protocol overshadowed Messi's much-anticipated appearance in the city. The incident has raised questions about crowd management and security coordination at high-profile events in West Bengal.

Implications going forward

The organiser's allegations suggest a disconnect between pre-event planning and ground-level execution. This is likely to prompt a review of security protocols for future international sporting and entertainment events in the state.