Uike's death has broken backbone of Maoist activities in Odisha: DGP
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Ganesh Uike, 69, a battle-hardened Maoist leader, finally fell to the bullets of security personnel in Kandhamal district on Thursday, less than a year after taking charge of Odisha operations, officials said.
Uike, a central committee member of the outfit carrying a bounty of Rs 1.1 crore, was shot dead in a dense forest within Chakapad police station limits, bordering Ganjam district in Rambha forest range.
A senior officer associated with the operation said Uike, despite being accompanied by three of his associates, was caught off guard.
The biting cold in Kandhamal, with temperatures falling below three degrees Celsius in the jungle, likely aided security forces in neutralising the group, the officer said.
Uike took charge of Odisha operations in December 2024 after previously heading the Karnataka-Kerala-Tamil Nadu south regional bureau.
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He was promoted to the central committee in 2020 and had worked across Chhattisgarh up to November 2024, officials said.
Known by various names including Pakka Hanumantu, Rajesh Tiwari, Chamru, and Rupa, Uike was a native of Pullemala village under Chendur mandal in Telangana’s Nalgonda district.
In February, he reorganised the Niyamgiri local organisation squad to revive Maoist activities in the erstwhile areas of top naxal leader Sabyasachi Panda, currently serving a life sentence in Berhampur jail.
Uike mostly focused in Kalahandi - Rayagada - Kandhamal - Boudh – Nayagarh axis taking advantage of the difficult terrains and topography.
However, he died in the same forested and hilly terrain in an encounter with the security personnel of Odisha’s SOG, DVF and central forces like CRPF and BSF.
"Uike's death has broken the backbone of Maoist activities in Odisha," DGP Y B Khurania told reporters.
"The death of Uike is a body blow to the Maoists in the state because the outfit does not have any senior leader. Modem Balakrishna, who for some time looked after Odisha affairs for the outfit, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Gariyaband district on September 11," a senior officer said.
Active along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra corridor for nearly a decade, Uike was involved in armed squad operations, cadre recruitment, and forest-based movements. Officials said his expertise in forest operations failed in the Kandhamal-Ganjam border area, leading to his neutralisation.
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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.
