Months After Unveiling, Kolkata Removes Giant Messi Statue over Safety Fears
Officials said the 70-foot statue was swaying in the wind and was found structurally unstable after a recent storm.
- On Monday, June 1, 2026, the Public Works Department removed a 70-foot statue of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi from Kolkata's Lake Town after the Bharatiya Janata Party government ordered the relocation due to safety concerns.
- Local residents reported the structure swayed during windy weather, prompting an inspection that deemed the monument unstable; it was installed five months ago by the previous Trinamool Congress administration.
- Former Trinamool Congress Minister Sujit Bose unveiled the statue on December 13, 2025, during Messi's promotional tour, and officials are now scrutinizing the project's initial approval following the regime change.
- Legal challenges mount for the former minister, as Shatadru Dutta filed a First Information Report on yesterday at Bidhannagar South police station, alleging Bose's agents sold over 22,000 tickets in the black market.
- This removal follows West Bengal's May 23 action to dismantle another football-themed sculpture near Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, as authorities search for a safer location to reinstall the monument.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Times of India
The Economic Times70-foot 'unstable' Messi statue removed from Kolkata Lake Town over safety concerns
A massive 70-foot statue of football star Lionel Messi in Kolkata has been taken down. The towering monument became unstable after recent storms. Officials dismantled the statue safely using a crane. It is now in government custody. Discussions are underway about its potential relocation to another park. The statue was unveiled last year during Messi's visit to the city.
Kolkata's Messi Statue Removed Over Safety Concerns, Months After Grand Unveiling
A towering statue of Argentine football legend Lionel Messi in Kolkata's Lake Town has been removed after engineers flagged serious structural safety concerns. The 70-foot installation, unveiled by Messi himself during his India visit in December 2025, had become a major attraction for football fans. #LionelMessi #Messi #Kolkata #MessiStatue #FootballNews #Argentina #LakeTown #IndiaFootball #KolkataNews #ViralNews #SportsNews #NDTVDigitalOrigina…
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