Around three months have passed for the 37th National Games 2023 which were held in five cities of Goa – Mapusa, Margao, Panaji, Ponda and Vasco. It was a grand event where Goa clinched 92 medals in total and approximately 3000 Goan students volunteered for it.
Members of National Students Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest on Monday, February 26 at the office of Sports Authority of Goa at Bambolim. The demonstration was aimed to address the non-payment of students who volunteered during the National Games held in Goa last year. State NSUI chief Naushad Chaudhari told media, “I visited the office of the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG), with around 30 students. However, the Executive Director, despite being present in the office, did not meet us. Later, we were detained by the police.”
Some of the members of NSUI sat in the SAG office demanding for the payment and chanting slogans, claiming it a ‘scam’ and ‘loot of student’s reward’. In addition, NSUI chief also stated that government spends crores of rupees on hospitality of any VVIP visiting goa, but the same government has failed to release the payments of innocent students, who helped make the National Games a success.
The executive director suggested that the students shall form a group of 4 members, who will be allowed to enter his office to discuss the matter without media personals. NSUI refused this offer and continued with their slogans, disturbing the whole office staff and banging on to the executive director’s door. Goa police at last dragged the students out and detained them for further proceedings as per the law.
Our sources informed us that a few students, who had volunteered for the national games were called at the office of Sports Authority of Goa, without informing that it was headed by NSUI. Also, only the NSUI Members were taken to police station and other students who were present at the venue were ordered to leave the office premises.
