SAI Regional Director tried to malign me, alleges shooter Karmakar

Kolkata, Jan 3 (IANS) Olympian shooter Joydeep Karmakar on Tuesday said that he felt "maligned" by Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Director Manmeet Singh Goindi's recent comments about him not settling the bills for his private academy at the SAI training centre here.

Karmakar, who finished fourth in 50-metre Rifle Prone event in London Olympics 2012, had opened a shooting academy in association with the SAI Eastern Centre last year.

A year later, Goindi a few days back said the 37-year-old has not paid a single penny for his venture and that being a Railways employee he needs to produce a No-Objection Certificate (NoC) to run a private academy.

"Full payment has been made one month in advance. But then when the regional director comes out and says he has not received rent, it's absurd," Karmakar told at a press conference he called to clear the air.

"I don't know whether he is trying to malign my image. But on November 29 we settled an amount of Rs 1,44,430 within two days of receiving a mail from SAI," he added.

"Till date there is no contract from SAI. Initially, they were charging Rs 150 for entry from every student per year. All of a sudden, it became Rs 750 per month. Look at the difference in amount," Karmakar alleged.

Refuting Goindi's claim of payment default and that being a Railways employee he needs to produce an NOC to run a private academy, Karmakar said, "I am an employee of Indian Railways and as per the Indian Railway Services (Conduct) Rules 1966, page 14 point 2, I may, with or without prior permission of the government take part in the registration, promotion or management (not involving or holding of an effective office) of a literary, scientific or charitable society or of a club or similar organisation the aims or objects of which relate to promotion of sports, cultural or recreational activities."

Karmakar said that Goindi, being the Regional Director of the SAI, does not endorse sports as his allegations hampered preparations for the shooting nationals.

"Talking of an organisation like SAI on which we are standing, I would say Goindi in his capacity as Regional Director does not support sports," an animated Karmakar said.

"These children were preparing for the nationals. The academy was locked and on December 7 we had to vacate it," he added.

"My 2012 Olympic jacket was in there locked in my academy. We went for nationals on December 12, and 18 players were in the nationals."

Despite all odds, Karmakar said, his students did well and eight of them will appear for India camp trials.

"I have taken up the matter with the higher authority. I met the SAI Regional Director (Injeti Srinivas) in Delhi and he said he will look into the matter," he said.

Former shooters like Bivabasu Ganguly, who represented India in Asian championship and Dibyendu Roy, who took part in the Colombo SAF Games (in 2006), were trainers at the academy, which is Karmakar's second after the one in Dankuni area in West Bengal's Hoogly district.