SIT to probe 4,000 UP madrasas receiving funds from abroad
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a special investigation team to investigate into 4,000 madrasas, mostly running along the border with Nepal, which are allegedly receiving funds from abroad, officials said on Monday.
An official said the SIT will examine if the money was used on any illegal activities, like terrorism or forcible religious conversion.
The three-member SIT led by Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Mohit Agarwal of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a senior official said.
Cyber Cell Superintendent of Police Triveni Singh and Minority Welfare Department Director J Reebha are its other members.
Confirming the setting up of the SIT, ADG Aggarwal said there are about 24,000 madrasas in Uttar Pradesh, of which 16,000 are recognised and 8,000 unrecognised.
About 4,000 madrasas could come under the purview of the investigation and the process of serving notices to them will start this week, an official said.
In the last few years, several madrasas have come up in the areas bordering Nepal, according to officials.
Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Shravasti, Balrampur, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri and Pilibhit share their borders with Nepal.
An official said a complaint was earlier received that the funds received from abroad were allegedly used in anti-national activities.
A survey last year found that "most madrassas" in the border areas were receiving large sums of money, but were unable to give an accurate account of it, he said.
The SIT will serve notice to such madrasas and seek information about transactions into Exchange Earners' Foreign Currency (EEFC) Accounts, he said.
The SIT will then investigate the madrasas that get funds from abroad, questioning them on the source of the money and activities on which it was used, the official added.
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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.
