Dinesh Gundu Rao condemns raids on NewsClick, says it reflect authoritarian attitude of Centre
Bengaluru: Karnataka's Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dinesh Gundu Rao, has strongly criticized the recent raid on the premises of NewsClick, an online media portal, by the Delhi Police's Special Cell.
The raid, which took place on Tuesday, involved searches at 30 locations, including the houses of journalists associated with the news platform. This action has sparked widespread outrage among journalists, media organizations, and political leaders.
Expressing his concerns, Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao took to his personal social media account, stating, "The Delhi Police raid on the premises of NewsClick shows the authoritarian attitude of the Centre, which openly expressed such irritation towards NewsClick for reporting about the CAA riots and during the farmers' protest against the farm bills and analyzing the shortcomings of the Central government."
He further highlighted that the Centre's use of investigative agencies, such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and Income Tax Department, had previously been limited to political rivals. However, he pointed out that these agencies were now being employed against media houses that criticize the government.
Rao emphasized that the Centre's actions were an attempt to silence news organizations that dared to reveal the truth about its shortcomings. He suggested that these systematic attacks on media agencies, including NewsClick, were escalating as elections drew nearer.
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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.
