Nikhat Zareen, footballer Samad stand in solidarity with students’ protest

Elite sportspersons of India are known to be shy of joining issue with any form of protest against the powers that be, but the likes of boxer Nikhat Zareen, well known national team footballer Sahal Abdul Samad have come out strongly in support of the students’ protest in the capital over the leak of NEET examination papers. Manu Bhaker, a double Olympic medallist shooter in Paris, was the first one to voice her concern last weekend.  

 Zareen, a two-time world champion who failed to qualify for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, issued a strongly worded statement and claimed that the protesters must be heard and called for dialogue between all parties. She stated that it is crucial for the growth of the country that questions are not silenced.

 ‘’Students are the future. Listen before they stop speaking. Nations don’t grow by silencing questions. They grow by answering them. Dialogue safeguards tomorrow. That is democracy. I STAND WITH STUDENTS,’’ she posted on X.  

While the cricket stars have been conspicuously silent on the issue which is now snowballing into a nationwide protest, the 24-year-old Manu Bhaker said the issue has now gone beyond politics and called for accountability to protect the future of the students. The protests have been going on for nearly a month at Jantar Mantar, with activist Sonam Wangchuk sitting on a hunger strike since 28 June before being being removed from the protest site and moved to hospital on Saturday (18 July).

’’At this point, it’s about the lives of the future of our nation. It’s about us,’’ Manu wrote.’’I am a student and at one point, we all were students. Every child deserves access to education, safety, and a fair chance at life. These are not privileges, they are fundamental rights.’’

Referring to students who had taken their own lives, the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna awardee said they deserved a better future.’’They were meant to be the future of our country,’’ she wrote, adding that ‘’their dreams, their potential, and their futures should have been protected.’’

Sahal Abdul Samad, a regular India player who turns up in ISL for Mohun Bagan Super Giants, was the latest to express solidarity with the students. Hailing from Kerala, the UAE-born Samad wrote on his X handle: ‘’These are young people who came peacefully, asking to be heard and they are being answered with force. Nothing justifies lathis on a generation that brought nothing nothing but it’s voice. Whatever anyone thinks of the issue behind the protest, this cannot be the response to it.

 ‘’A peaceful protest is not a threat. Treating it like one only deepens the wound. I stand with them, not quietly and not from a distance. Their voice deserves a seat at the table, not a barricade in front of it,’’ said the midfielder.