Man lynched in Jharkhand’s Godda, family alleges killing driven by religious hatred
Godda, Jharkhand: A mob killing in Jharkhand’s Godda district has triggered outrage after a 40-year-old Muslim man was allegedly beaten to death. The incident occurred in the Podaiyahat police station area, where the body of Pappu Ansari was found in a field between Matihani and Latta villages on Thursday morning.
Ansari was a resident of Ranipur village under the Pathargama police station limits. He had reportedly gone to the area after being called on the pretext of settling a payment related to cattle delivery. According to his family, he was called again early in the morning to collect money. He was then told that the cattle would not be handed over. When he tried to leave, he was allegedly attacked from behind and surrounded by a group of men.
His brother, Mohammad Naseem, alleged that Ansari was stripped after his brother was identified as a Muslim, and then brutally assaulted. He claimed the attackers used multiple weapons like a farsa, sticks, arrows and a chisel. Naseem alleged the assault continued repeatedly referring to his religious identity.
The incident is said to have taken place during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday in Matihani village. Police said villagers caught Ansari around 1 am on suspicion of cattle theft and allegedly beat him with sticks. Senior police officials reached the spot after receiving information, and the body was sent to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.
During the investigation, police recovered slippers, blood-stained sticks, a burnt mobile phone, gutkha packets, khaini and ashes from the scene, as reported by The Indian Express. Headquarters Deputy Superintendent of Police JPN Chaudhary said the man had been beaten to death and that efforts were underway to identify and arrest those involved.
Police sources said Ansari had previous cases related to cattle theft and copper theft registered against him and claimed he had arrived in the village with three others in a pickup vehicle, who managed to flee when he was caught. The family, however, rejected this version, maintaining that the killing was not linked to theft but was an act of mob violence driven by religious animosity.
Naseem alleged that no elected representative or senior official had visited the family after the incident. Ansari is survived by four daughters and a young son.
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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.
