On-ground situation in Srinagar completely contrary to govt's claims: Sitaram Yechury
New Delhi, Aug 30: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who returned from Srinagar on Friday after the Supreme Court allowed him to go there, said the situation on the ground was "completely contrary" to what the government was saying.
Yechury, who went to Srinagar to meet his ailing party colleague Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, refused to elaborate, saying he would submit a detailed report to the apex court.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, who had filed a habeas corpus petition in the Supreme Court seeking Tarigami to be produced before it, was granted permission to visit the former MLA in Srinagar. The court had, however, said Yechury should not indulge in any kind of political activity during his visit to Srinagar.
Tarigami, a four-time former MLA and a Central Committee member of the CPI(M), is under detention in Srinagar since August 5, the day the government abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the state into two Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
"I visited Tarigami and enquired about his health. I will file an affidavit in court regarding his health condition and also report on what I saw there," Yechury told reporters here, adding that during the drive from the airport to Tarigami's house, he saw that the situation on the ground was "completely contrary" to what the BJP-led government was saying.
The Left leader said after he landed at the Srinagar airport, he was told by officials that he would have to return the same day, but he convinced them that he could only leave the next day after getting a status report on his colleague's health condition as he had to report to the apex court about it.
"I met him (Tarigami) on Thursday and again on Friday morning and all I can say that in this condition, he needs periodic reviews. He was getting treated at the AIIMS and he needs to go there for treatment," Yechury said.
He added that he was not allowed to meet anyone apart from Tarigami in Srinagar and was escorted at all times by security personnel. He spent the night at a government guest house and was not allowed to venture out, the CPI(M) general secretary said.
He added that he hoped to submit his affidavit in the Supreme Court on Saturday.
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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.
