Some families meet Kashmir political prisoners, Omar Abdullah gets visit from sister
Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's sister met him on Monday, the 29th day of his house arrest, officials said, adding that some detained political leaders were now being allowed visits by their families.
Safiya, whose father Farooq Abdullah is also under house arrest, met her brother for the second time since August 5, when Jammu and Kashmir's special status was revoked. Omar Abdullah's aunt Suraya Mattoo has also met him, officials said.
As a host of political leaders continue to remain under detention, Jammu and Kashmir's three former chief ministers Farooq and Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti as well as others are now allowed brief visits by their relatives in accordance with the jail manual, officials said.
Three-time chief minister Farooq Abdullah is under house arrest at his Gupkar Road residence while his son Omar is confined to Hari Niwas, a state guesthouse-turned into a jail, barely 500 metres away.
Mehbooba is in detention in a hut at Chashmeshahi near the governor's residence Raj Bhavan.
On August 28, PDP chief Mehbooba's mother and sister met her at Chashmeshahi where she has been in custody since the early hours of August 5, when the Centre announced that Jammu and Kashmir's special status was being abrogated and the state would be divided into two union territories.
Over the last week, the relatives of some of these leaders have been allowed to meet them twice for roughly 15 minutes, officials said. No details of the meetings were immediately available. Mehbooba's daughter Iltija said she, too, has no news of how the meetings went.
"My grandmother and aunt were allowed to visit my mother only after I decided to speak to the media. What about the families of those whose members have been jailed in Agra? Who will give them answers? Do they not deserve to know?" she asked.
Since August 5, the government has shifted 140 persons, including rights activists, stone pelters and political activists in various prisons in Uttar Pradesh.
For a month now, eight million people of her state have been punished, Iltija told PTI over the phone. She refused to divulge her location. The state has been cleaved and there is an "unprecedented and oppressive clampdown", she said.
She said Kashmiris deserve answers from the government about "when this siege will end instead of callous radio silence".
"If former chief ministers and elected representatives are being treated in this manner, one shudders to think about the plight of party workers who at the cost of their lives ensured democracy germinated in the valley," Iltija said.
There is no official word about how many politicians have been detained. But about 60 top-rung politicians belonging to all political parties except the BJP are believed to be in detention in guesthouses, their homes and hotels which have converted into jails and also in prisons both within the state and outside. Another 400 political activists are also said to be in preventive detention.
There is a stream of family members and supporters seen outside Centaur hotel where several former MLAs and MLCs have been locked up.
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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.
