A giant statue of football superstar Lionel Messi in New Town, Kolkata, was removed on Monday after authorities found it was swaying dangerously in strong winds.
Hydraulic cranes and ropes were used to dismantle the 21-metre (70-foot) sculpture before it was transported away on an open-top flatbed truck, AFP journalists reported.
“The statue was removed on Monday afternoon after local residents complained that it was swaying in the wind,” West Bengal lawmaker Sharadwat Mukherjee told AFP.
Mukherjee said the statue will be stored in a government warehouse while officials determine a suitable new location.
The gold-coloured monument, which depicts the Argentina captain lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy, was unveiled in December during Messi’s widely publicised GOAT Tour of India.
The statue was reportedly commissioned under the patronage of former West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee. It had drawn criticism from current sports minister Nisith Pramanik of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who described it as “unsightly”.
Messi, 38, captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in 2022 and currently plays for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
