Ecstatic scenes were witnessed at the N S C Bose International airport in Kolkata as the East Bengal team -- winners of the ASEAN Cup at Jakarta -- arrived on Tuesday night.
Slogans like 'Three Cheers for East Bengal' rent the air. Over 10,000 people moved towards the lounge near the international terminal, as news spread that the Singapore Airlines flight with the team members onboard had arrived at 2240 hours IST, giving little notice to the pleas of harried security personnel.
Important state dignitaries, including West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty, Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya and Fire Services Ministers Pratim Chatterjee were present at the airport to welcome the squad members.
AIFF president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and Chakraborty went near the tarmac to garland the players, looking tired but happy.
Red and gold were the all-pervasive colours, besides the national tricolour, in the airport area with fans holding aloft innumerable festoons.