EC appoints 5 senior IAS officers as Special Roll Observers for SIR in West Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission on Monday appointed five senior IAS officers as Special Roll Observers (SRO) for various divisions of West Bengal to oversee the work relating to the SIR exercise, officials said.
Ministry of Defence Joint Secretary Kumar Ravi Kant Singh was appointed the SRO for the Presidency division, while Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary Niraj Kumar Bansod was assigned the responsibility of the Medinipur division.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Joint Secretary Krishna Kumar Nirala was named the SRO for the Burdwan division, Department of Economic Affairs Joint Secretary Alok Tiwari has been made the SRO for the Malda division, and Department of Rural Development Joint Secretary Pankaj Yadav has been appointed the SRO for the Jalpaiguri division.
The EC had earlier appointed retired IAS officer Subrata Gupta as the Special Roll Observer in connection with the SIR, besides setting up a team of 12 IAS officers as Electoral Roll Observers to oversee the key aspects of preparation of the electoral roll and help the DEOs and EROs in taking corrective measures.
ALSO READ: Cong hits back at PM Modi, calls him 'master distorian'
"The appointment of SROs ensures enhanced scrutiny and transparency in the SIR process across all divisions. Their presence will strengthen monitoring and compliance with EC norms," an official at the CEO's office said.
"The observers will supervise electoral roll-related activities and ensure adherence to EC guidelines in their respective jurisdictions," he said.
The special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state began on November 4 with the distribution of enumeration forms, which will continue till December 11.
The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 16, and the final voters' list will be issued on February 14, 2026.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
