Mumbai (PTI): A 52-year-old businessman allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the Atal Setu sea bridge connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday, the second such suicide on the Atal Setu in three days as a banker had ended his life in a similar manner on Monday.

"The businessman, Philip Shah, ended his life by jumping off the Atal Setu on Wednesday morning. Shah, a resident of Matunga in central Mumbai, drove his sedan car on the Atal Setu, parked it at some point and jumped into the sea," he said.

"Staff from the CCTV control room of the bridge noticed that a car was parked on the bridge, following which a rescue team was alerted. Its personnel rushed to the spot from where Shah jumped into the sea. Following a search operation, they found him," he said.

He was rushed to a hospital, but declared dead on admission, the police official said.

The deceased person's identity was established on the basis of his Aadhaar card, which was found in the car, he said, adding that the victim was apparently under mental stress in the last few days before his death.

A case of accidental death was registered at the Nhava Sheva police station in Navi Mumbai, he said.

The 'Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu', also known as the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL), that connects south Mumbai with the satellite city of Navi Mumbai, was inaugurated in January this year. The six-lane bridge is 21.8 km long and is said to be the longest sea bridge in the country.

 

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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.