Farmers force govt official who came to stop stubble burning to set paddy straw on fire in Bathinda
Chandigarh, Nov 4: A group of farmers allegedly forced a government official, who was part of a team to prevent farm fires, to set a heap of paddy stubble on fire in Punjab's Bathinda district an incident which drew condemnation from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
A purported video of the entire incident also surfaced on social media. CM Mann said an FIR will be lodged in the matter.
Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray on Saturday said he has written to the senior superintendent of police to register an FIR against the farmers for preventing the official from discharging his duty.
The incident took place in Mehma Sarja village on Friday when a team led by a special supervisor went there to check stubble burning incidents.
The DC said the official was surrounded by a group of 50-60 farmers with allegiance to a farmers' body, took him to a nearby field and forced him to put a heap of stubble on fire.
In the video, farmers could be heard saying that those who came to stop stubble burning were made to set the crop residue on fire.
The video also shows that the official's hand was held by two farmers, as they force him to set the stubble on fire with a matchstick.
The video was made by one of the farmers.
"when he (official) was mobbed, what option he could have. He had no choice," DC Parray said.
The DC said that an FIR will be lodged in the matter and those who were behind the incident will be put behind the bars.
"I am also visiting the village myself. We will not let it go way. Lawlessness is not something that we will tolerate," said the DC.
The DC said he has already written to the Bathinda SSP, and added that the FIR will be lodged on Saturday.
In a strongly worded post on X, CM Mann said "Dear Punjabis, which way are you are heading? The government employee went with a message of not burning paddy stubble but he was made to set it on fire Guru Sahib ji has given air the status of Guru to destroy this, we are ending oxygen meant for our children by taking matchsticks in our hands FIR is going to be lodged."
Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is considered as one of the major reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November.
As the window for wheat -- a key Rabi crop -- is very short after paddy harvest, some farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue for sowing of the next crop.
Punjab has reported a total of 12,813 stubble burning incidents till Friday, according to Punjab Remote Sensing Centre data.
Farmers in Bathinda’s Burj Mehma forced government officials, who had come to stop them from burning stubble, to set fire to the stubble. The farmers also recorded a video of the incident and protested against the team. #Punjab #Bathinda #stubbleburning pic.twitter.com/o6z0KPk6HJ
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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.
