G.O.A.T. Event
Messi chaos fallout: Bengal actress Subhashree Ganguly trolled after stadium mayhem, husband Raj Chakraborty reacts
Kolkata/IBNS: Bengali film actress Subhashree Ganguly has been trolled on social media for posting a photograph with football legend Lionel Messi following the disruption of the G.O.A.T. India Tour event at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
The actress had also clicked with international footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, who accompanied Messi on the tour.
Subhashree, who represented the Bengali film fraternity at the event, faced online backlash after sharing the picture amid widespread chaos at the stadium, where influential individuals, including politicians, allegedly blocked the view of Messi for nearly 80,000 spectators.
The 35-year-old actress was trolled at a time when angry ticket-paying fans vandalised parts of the stadium after being denied a glimpse of the football icon, who is set to conclude his India tour on Monday.
Her husband, filmmaker and Trinamool Congress MLA Raj Chakraborty, came out in her defence, stating that Subhashree had no role in the mismanagement that led to the unrest after Messi cut short his appearance due to the on-field chaos.
In a Facebook post, Chakraborty said trolling reflected a deeper issue. “The way people behave towards a human being, towards a woman, will be remembered by future generations. There is a vast difference between protest and humiliation, and it is important to understand that,” he wrote.
He added that Subhashree, like other fans, had attended the event to see the football great and was herself deeply hurt by the turn of events. Chakraborty later filed a police complaint against the trolls.
Chaos erupted moments after Messi stepped out of his vehicle and entered the field, where he was surrounded by hundreds of people, including police personnel and influential figures, effectively blocking the spectators’ view.
West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas was seen accompanying Messi along with international footballers Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, with several individuals allegedly forcing selfies and photographs.
As visuals surfaced online, family members of the minister and relatives of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee were also spotted near Messi at the centre of the field, while fans waited in vain.
The situation quickly spiralled out of control, prompting Messi’s security team to escort him off the field.
His departure triggered unrest, with spectators hurling plastic bottles and chairs, smashing barricades, storming sections of the field, and damaging property. Two tents erected on the field—allegedly for the comfort of dignitaries and obstructing spectators’ views—were later set on fire.
Police exercised restraint as security forces took nearly an hour to regain control.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly were scheduled to share the stage with Messi, but the programme was cut short, drawing national criticism.
Event organiser Satadru Dutta, arrested later in the day, has been remanded to 14 days of police custody. While the Chief Minister has ordered an inquiry into the mismanagement, questions remain over how large numbers of people, including relatives of political figures, were allowed close access to Messi.
Messi later completed the remaining legs of the tour in Hyderabad and Mumbai without incident.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
