BJP stages demonstration near Home Minister's residence over Udupi washroom video case
Bengaluru: The BJP on Thursday staged a demonstration near Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara's residence alleging the Congress government was supporting ''terrorists'' and siding with the accused girls in the Udupi washroom video case.
Party activists also staged protests in several parts of Karnataka including the coastal district headquarters town of Udupi accusing the Congress of indulging in ''appeasement politics.'' In Bengaluru, the activists raised slogans near Parameshwara's residence alleging that he is ''preparing ground'' to withdraw police cases against the rioters of DJ Halli and KG Halli riots three years ago in which the then sitting Congress Dalit MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy's house and KG Halli police stations were torched.
Three people were killed and over 50 injured in the riots that erupted in D J Halli and K G Halli, allegedly due to a derogatory social media post by a relative of the Murthy in August 2020. Parameshwara has asked officials to examine the request by a Congress MLA to withdraw cases against ''innocent'' youths and students, who were arrested under ''false cases'' in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga and Hubballi among other places.
The Opposition BJP has sharply reacted to this and has accused the Congress government in the state of giving ''clean chit to the communal criminals of one community, and playing to the tune of Jihadists and PFI terrorists''.
Parameshwara has, in a July 19 note to Principal Secretary-Prisons, Civil Defence and Auxiliary Services (PCAS), Home Department, cited a request letter by Narasimharaja MLA and former Minister Tanveer Sait in this regard.
''It has been requested that innocent youths and students have been arrested under false cases in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga, Hubballi and other places, and to withdraw cases in accordance with rules, after review. It is instructed to take necessary action in this regard after review,'' the Home Minister's note said.
The activists who marched towards Parameshwara's residence raised slogans: ''We condemn the Congress government supporting the DJ Halli and KG Halli 'terrorists'.'' In 'Freedom Park' here, the women's wing of BJP staged a sit-in demonstration. They shouted slogans accusing the Congress government of shielding the accused girls in the washroom video case..
Three people were killed and over 50 injured in the riots that erupted in D J Halli and K G Halli, allegedly due to a derogatory social media post by a relative of the Murthy in August 2020. Parameshwara has asked officials to examine the request by a Congress MLA to withdraw cases against ''innocent'' youths and students, who were arrested under ''false cases'' in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga and Hubballi among other places.
The Opposition BJP has sharply reacted to this and has accused the Congress government in the state of giving ''clean chit to the communal criminals of one community, and playing to the tune of Jihadists and PFI terrorists''.
Parameshwara has, in a July 19 note to Principal Secretary-Prisons, Civil Defence and Auxiliary Services (PCAS), Home Department, cited a request letter by Narasimharaja MLA and former Minister Tanveer Sait in this regard.
''It has been requested that innocent youths and students have been arrested under false cases in connection with protests and riots in Bengaluru's D J Halli and K G Halli, Shivamogga, Hubballi and other places, and to withdraw cases in accordance with rules, after review. It is instructed to take necessary action in this regard after review,'' the Home Minister's note said.
The activists who marched towards Parameshwara's residence raised slogans: ''We condemn the Congress government supporting the DJ Halli and KG Halli 'terrorists'.'' In 'Freedom Park' here, the women's wing of BJP staged a sit-in demonstration. They shouted slogans accusing the Congress government of shielding the accused girls in the washroom video case.
The BJP activists also alleged that the Congress government was ''diluting'' the Udupi case. Police have filed an FIR against three girl students -- Shabnaz, Alfia and Aleema -- and the management of the paramedical college where the alleged incident of secretly filming a fellow student in a washroom took place last week. The three students have been suspended from the college. Due to the police barricades, the activists couldn't go near the minister's house. They were all detained and taken away.
In Udupi, students and the members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad too staged demonstrations against the Congress government.
During the protest, the ABVP activists, in which a majority were girls, raised slogans seeking ''justice''. They also sought to know why there was a delay in registering a case.
They demanded an independent and fair inquiry into the case.
Meanwhile, Parameshwara said he never called the Udupi incident an innocent act of children.
''You all have studied in college. Sometimes certain things used to happen between the students and we would resolve it amongst us. That shouldn't be a big issue,'' Parameshwara told reporters here.
He also said such issues should be left among students only.
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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.
