Bengal: JUP chief Humayun Kabir's son detained for assaulting policeman
Kolkata (PTI): Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) chief Humayun Kabir's son Golam Nabi Azad was on Sunday detained for allegedly attacking a policeman posted at their residence in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, an officer said.
Trinamool Congress said Azad, better known as Sohel, committed a cognisable offence by raising a hand on the policeman, who was posted as a personal security officer (PSO) of Bharatpur MLA Kabir, and police took action as per the law, while claiming that the ruling party has nothing to do with it.
A senior police officer said Sohel was detained on the basis of a complaint lodged with Shaktipur police station by Constable Jumma Khan, alleging that the legislator's son assaulted him this morning when he applied for a few days' leave.
"On the basis of the complaint, the accused has been detained for questioning. The matter is being investigated and necessary legal action will be taken," the police officer told PTI.
Kabir, who floated his party after being suspended from the TMC and laid the foundation stone for a Babri Masjid-style mosque in Muslim-majority Murshidabad, claimed that police have cordoned off his residence in Shaktipur area following the incident.
Kabir, who has announced that his party would contest the upcoming assembly elections in the state, was away from his residence for some work when the incident happened.
"My son objected to the entry of a policeman inside my house today and this angered the law enforcers who levelled false allegations against my son, accusing him of misbehaviour," he told reporters in Berhampore.
Kabir alleged that he was being targeted by the police at the behest of the Trinamool Congress.
A police force cannot cordon the house of an elected representative under "flimsy pretext", the MLA said.
"I will gherao the SP's office in Murshidabad on January 1 in protest against this harassment, which is politically motivated. I demand an explanation from senior police and administration officials about today's incident. They cannot intimidate me," Kabir said.
Kabir said his son was detained "in an illegal manner under false charges", and demanded his immediate release.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty said that as per information available with the party, Kabir's son pushed the police constable when he went inside the house seeking leave for some personal work.
"He has committed a cognisable offence by raising a hand on a policeman. And police have taken action as per the law. The party has nothing to do with it," Chakraborty said.
Kabir laid the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Babri Masjid on December 6, a day after being suspended from the TMC.
Later, he floated the JUP, and announced the new party would contest 182 of the 294 assembly seats in the polls due early next year. He further expressed his desire to form an electoral alliance with Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM.
He also accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of doing nothing for the uplift of Muslims and only pursuing "appeasement politics" since coming to power in 2011.
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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.
