Bahraich court sentences main accused in 2024 violence to death, nine others get life terms
Bahraich: A court in Bahraich awarded the death penalty to Sarfaraz, the prime accused in the October 2024 violence that erupted during a Durga Puja idol immersion procession, while nine others were sentenced to life imprisonment and three men were acquitted for lack of evidence on Thursday .
The clashes broke out after the shooting of Ram Gopal Mishra, a young resident who was killed when he allegedly attempted to replace a flag on a house belonging to a member of the minority community. Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar Sharma, delivering the verdict, said the assault was premeditated and intended to create fear and assert dominance. The court described the murder as a deep and lasting blow to Mishra’s family, noting that he had been married only four months earlier.
Special DGC Criminal Pramod Kumar Singh said the prosecution presented eight witnesses and relied on ballistic analysis to establish that Sarfaraz fired the fatal shots. He said the court viewed the killing as a case that met the threshold of the “rarest of rare”, requiring the maximum punishment to uphold justice and reflect society’s conscience.
The prosecution recalled the extent of the violence, noting that Mishra had several gunshot wounds, blunt-force injuries, and evidence of torture. With riots, arson, damage to public property, and the suspension of internet services, the incident triggered unrest in Bahraich. Many police officers were suspended from duty for failing to handle the situation.
Those sentenced to life imprisonment are Abdul Hameed, Faheem, Saif Ali, Javed Khan, Zeeshan alias Raja, Nankau, Maruf Ali, Shoaib Khan and Talib alias Sablu. The court observed that some among them were young and appeared to have acted without provocation, leaving open the possibility of reform.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
