Delhi: Tollywood actress Subhashree Ganguly found herself at the centre of an online controversy after sharing pictures with football superstar Lionel Messi, prompting her husband, filmmaker and Trinamool Congress MLA Raj Chakraborty, to seek police intervention against what he described as abusive and targeted trolling.
Police on Monday confirmed that a complaint filed by Chakraborty had led to the registration of a case at the Titagarh police station in North 24 Parganas district. The complaint names several social media users accused of posting offensive content and unfairly attacking the actress following her appearance at a high-profile meet-and-greet with the Argentine football icon.
Ganguly had attended the event at a luxury hotel in Kolkata ahead of Messi’s visit to the Salt Lake stadium and was later seen seated in a VIP enclosure set up on the ground. After she shared photographs from the occasion on her social media accounts, a section of users questioned her presence, linking it to the disorder that erupted at the stadium where many fans were unable to see their football hero.
The event at Yuva Bharati Krirangan witnessed chaos and damage to property amid allegations of poor planning and crowd management, which further fuelled criticism of those seated in designated VIP areas. Some online posts suggested that celebrities and dignitaries had blocked spectators’ views, a claim that became central to the backlash against Ganguly.
Responding to the incident, Chakraborty posted a detailed statement on Facebook, condemning the mismanagement of the event and calling the scenes at the stadium “deeply distressing” for football enthusiasts. He questioned how organisers could have failed to anticipate the scale of public interest surrounding Messi’s visit and demanded accountability.
Defending his wife, the filmmaker rejected the narrative that sought to single her out. “Does being an actress mean she cannot be a football fan?” he wrote, criticising political figures and commentators who, according to him, were commenting without being present at the venue.
Chakraborty also spoke about the multiple roles individuals occupy in society, stressing that Ganguly’s identity extends beyond her profession. He alleged that certain leaders and media outlets had crossed ethical boundaries by circulating memes and pushing a distorted narrative against her.
The case has reignited debate around online harassment and the treatment of public figures on social media, with police saying they are examining the content cited in the complaint as part of their investigation.
