Kolkata, 18 December (H.S.) : Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has lodged a complaint with the Kolkata Police after his name was allegedly dragged into the controversy surrounding disorder and violence at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan. Ganguly accused the president of an Argentina football fan club of making defamatory and derogatory public remarks against him.

According to sources, Ganguly sent a complaint via email to Lalbazar on Thursday, which has been registered by the cyber cell of the Kolkata Police. In his complaint, he named Uttam Saha, said to be the president of a Kolkata-based Argentina football fan club, alleging that he deliberately made false, malicious and objectionable statements linking him to the Yuva Bharati incident.

Ganguly stated that the allegations made against him were baseless and had no factual foundation. He told the police that such comments were damaging his social reputation and causing mental distress. He asserted that attempts were being made to malign his image by unnecessarily associating him with the incident.

In his letter to Lalbazar, Ganguly said that as a sportsperson and sports administrator, he has earned respect and credibility in India and abroad over a long career. He alleged that certain individuals were now trying to tarnish that reputation by dragging his name into the Yuva Bharati episode, which he said was unacceptable under any circumstances.

The controversy stems from an incident last Saturday at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake, when Argentine football legend Lionel Messi visited the stadium. Messi stayed at the venue for around 20 minutes, during which he was surrounded by a large crowd. As a result, thousands of spectators seated in the stands were unable to get a clear view of him.

After Messi left the stadium, anger among the spectators escalated, leading to chaos, vandalism and unrest within the Yuva Bharati premises. Following the incident, resentment was also directed at the main organiser of the visit, Shatadru Dutta.

Amid the backlash, Uttam Saha allegedly made comments linking Shatadru Dutta with Sourav Ganguly in connection with the event. Ganguly has objected to these remarks and provided detailed references to the statements in his complaint to the police.

Questions have already been raised over the role of the state government and the organisers in connection with the Yuva Bharati incident. With Ganguly’s complaint now added to the matter, the controversy has taken a new turn. The police have initiated an inquiry, and the cyber cell is examining the online comments and related material.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh