Situation totally peaceful in J-K: Police
Srinagar/Jammu: The situation in all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir is totally peaceful, amid unprecedented security cover and restrictions, top officials said on Tuesday.
There are no untoward reports from anywhere in the state, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said from Srinagar, a day after the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status and proposed to bifurcate the state into two union territories.
The law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir is "totally peaceful", Singh said.
In Srinagar city, where there has been virtual communications blackout with few phones and internet connections, people who have urgent work are being allowed to move despite strict restrictions, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choduhary said.
In Srinagar, people who have any emergency or some urgent work are being allowed to move despite strict restrictions, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choduhary said.
He said the situation is totally under control and no reports of any untoward incident is reported from anywhere.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah, who were under house arrest since Sunday night, have been arrested on Monday night as they were treated a threat to the law and order situation, officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference leaders Sajjad Lone and Imran Ansari were among over a dozen who were arrested, they said.
Orders of their arrests were issued by magistrates in view of their activities to cause breach of peace and tranquillity in the Kashmir Valley.
In Jammu region, night curfew was imposed in Kishtwar and Rajouri areas and restrictions under Section 144 CrPc were imposed in all the districts of Jammu region, the officials said.
"The situation is totally peaceful. There were no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere. Night curfew was imposed and restriction are in place," Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar A S Rana said.
Deputy Commissioner Doda D S Dattatray said the situation remained peaceful in Doda and have appealed to people to maintain peace and tranquillity.
All educational institutes across the state are closed for the second consecutive day, the officials said. In Kargil, a Joint Action Committee has called for a shut down to protest against the decision.
On Monday night, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik reviewed the security situation with senior officials and emphasised the need for constant alertness and preparedness to deal with any eventuality.
According to a Raj Bhavan spokesperson, the governor held a meeting with top officials and reviewed the prevailing security and law and order scenario in the state.
The governor stressed the need for ensuring safety of general public and advised the administration to give due consideration to the genuine needs of the people in the current scenario, the spokesperson said.
Reviewing the law and order situation and preparedness of the government machinery, Malik emphasised the need for constant alertness, preparedness and synergy among various departments and agencies to enable dealing with emerging situation in a coordinated and effective manner.
The governor reiterated the need to constantly maintain a close watch on the ground situation and underlined the importance of sustained efforts to bring peace and harmony in the society for overall benefit of people.
Malik has appealed to the people and leaders of various social, religious and political organisations to cooperate with the government machinery to maintain law and order in the state, the spokesperson said.
Army's General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh also met the governor on Monday night and briefed him about internal and external security situation, he said.
The Army officer also apprised him of the preparedness for addressing any eventuality, the spokesperson said.
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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.
