What do you think should be done?

Honestly, after seeing what happened at the Salt Lake Stadium during the Messi event, it’s hard not to feel frustrated. Thousands of fans came with excitement, hopes, and sometimes even their hard-earned money, expecting a smooth experience, and what they got was chaos and disappointment. First and foremost, there needs to be accountability. Satadru Dutta, as the main organiser, must be held responsible for his role in this mess. Legal investigations are ongoing, and the authorities should make sure that all findings are transparent and communicated publicly. People should know that failure of this scale, which put public safety at risk, will not go unnoticed. It’s not just about blaming one person; it’s about making sure event organisers understand that when you take responsibility for large-scale events, you are answerable to the people who trust you. Next, proper regulation of private events in India must be strengthened. This incident showed glaring gaps in planning, crowd management, and safety measures. Government authorities and municipal bodies should have clear guidelines and enforce them strictly, especially when international celebrities or large crowds are involved. Permissions should only be granted after organisers show proper safety plans, trained personnel, emergency protocols, and risk assessments. Random spot checks and accountability measures should be mandatory. It’s not enough to rely on promises; there needs to be a system in place that ensures fans are protected and events run smoothly. Fan awareness and consumer rights also play a key role. People should be able to demand refunds, proper communication, or compensation when events fail. There should be a consumer grievance system specifically for ticketed events, where organisers cannot avoid responsibility. Platforms that sell tickets, including online portals, must also ensure that events are verified, and information provided to buyers is accurate. In this case, fans had no way to confirm what would actually happen, which made the disappointment worse. Educating the public to look for official confirmations, verified organisers, and proper event credentials could prevent similar incidents in the future. Finally, campaigns like this can make a difference. Public pressure, social media awareness, and civic engagement can push authorities to act and make rules stricter. Highlighting cases where organisers failed ensures that lessons are learned and similar mistakes are not repeated. Event organisers in the future will have a benchmark — if they mismanage or overpromise, public scrutiny will catch them. It’s about making accountability part of the culture. In short, what should be done is a combination of legal accountability, stronger regulations, consumer protection, and public awareness. Everyone who was involved, including organisers and associates, must be examined, and lessons must be learned. The fans, who are at the heart of these events, deserve to be respected and safe. Only then can such high-profile events in India truly be enjoyable, safe, and memorable for the right reasons.

Decision makers and recipients