Chhattisgarh: Violence erupts in Kanker village over burial; several including cops injured
Kanker (PTI): Several people including more than 20 police personnel were injured in violence at Badetevda village in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Thursday following a dispute between two communities over the burial of a deceased man.
A mob vandalised a prayer hall and set fire to articles inside. An Additional Superintendent of Police was among the injured, but the situation was now under control, officials said.
Tensions had been brewing since December 16 after Rajman Salam, sarpanch of Badetevda village under Amabeda police station area, buried his father Chamra Ram Salam's body on his private land.
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While Salam follows Christianity, some villagers objected to his father's burial being performed as per Christian rites, said a senior police official.
Some villagers raised suspicion over the manner of the death, demanding exhumation of the body. They also alleged that the burial was not conducted in accordance with local customs, the official said.
Acting on the complaint, an executive magistrate ordered exhumation which was carried out on Thursday afternoon in the presence of police and district officials. An inquest and post-mortem examination will be conducted and further legal action will follow, the official said.
"The issue created a tense situation in the village. Groups confronted each other and incidents of stone-pelting occurred. Police took steps to control the situation. There was also damage to property," the official said.
More than 20 police personnel, including an ASP, sustained injuries and were sent to hospital, he said.
In a video statement released on December 17, Rajman Salam had said that his father died due to an illness at a hospital in Kanker on the evening of December 15.
His body was brought to the village the next morning, following which he informed gram panchayat members and village elders that although he had embraced Christianity, his father did not attend church, he said.
Hence, he wanted his father to be buried as per village customs, and he himself wanted to participate in the last rites, said Rajman.
But a rival who had lost to him in the sarpanch election opposed his participation, he claimed.
"As I was not allowed to participate, I called my Vishwasi (Christian) friends and performed the burial as per our (Christian) rituals," Rajman said.
Those who had lost the panchayat polls mobilised outsiders and instigated protests demanding exhumation of the body, he alleged. Police had asked for his consent for exhumation to avoid escalation of the dispute, but he had refused, he said.
According to police, there were minor clashes on Wednesday following which security was tightened and barricades were erected to prevent outsiders from entering Badetevda. However, on Thursday, some people who were carrying sticks entered the village, triggering fresh violence, said an official.
After the body was exhumed, a mob went on a rampage and vandalised a prayer hall. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
Police have restricted the entry of outsiders for now and deployed additional force in the area.
#WATCH | North Bastar Kanker, Chhattisgarh | Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kanker, Dinesh Sinha says, "Under the Ambedkar Police Station area, a dispute occurred between two sections of society over the burial of a body. Police were deployed in large numbers, and they… pic.twitter.com/gA5Ca8rPfi
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025
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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.
