Messi Evacuated from Kolkata Amid Riots

Authorities in India have announced an investigation following riots at a stadium that forced footballer Lionel Messi to be evacuated from a stadium in the western city of Kolkata. The incident has led to accusations of corruption and fraud against the organizers. "We are deeply saddened and shocked by the mismanagement witnessed today at Salt Lake Stadium," said the head of the West Bengal state government, Mamata Banerjee, in a statement. The crisis erupted after the visit of the Argentine star had to be interrupted after 22 minutes due to the throwing of objects and the invasion of the security perimeter. India's Deputy Minister of Education, Sukanta Majumder, accused the ruling party in the region of having "hijacked" the event and caused the disaster through a corruption scheme in ticket sales. The controversy originated inside Salt Lake Stadium, where thousands of fans denounced a scam after paying high-priced tickets and seeing a wall of politicians and officials blocking their view of the player to take photos, preventing the sporting spectacle. Banerjee also announced the creation of a committee headed by retired judge Ashim Kumar Ray, with the mandate to depurify responsibilities for the security failures that put the Inter Miami star at risk and caused police charges in the city.