Karnataka minister warns of criminal proceedings against those involved in land scam
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told the Legislative Council on Friday that criminal proceedings and departmental action would be initiated against officials and land mafia involved in the illegal grant of 'Bagair Hukum' land.
Replying to a question raised by MLC Ramesh Babu during Zero Hour, the minister said the department had uncovered serious irregularities in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk, where fake cultivation certificates were allegedly issued in farmers’ names to facilitate encroachment.
Gowda said, “We cannot tolerate the practice of illegally granting government land to land grabbers. Around 98 people in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk have been issued cultivation certificates in the names of farmers. An FIR has already been filed against the land grabbers who applied for land accounts using these fake certificates.”
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He said an investigation team was constituted on November 13 and sent to Chikkanayakanahalli soon after the matter came to the government’s notice.
"The investigation is underway. It is not possible to tamper with files without the support of record room officials. Hence, FIRs have been filed against all officials who were in charge of the record room in Chikkanayakanahalli taluk from 2018 onwards," the Minister informed the House.
He said the team is also verifying signatures on the fake certificates to ascertain which ones are genuine and which are forged.
Officials have sought one more week to submit the report, he said, adding that the government is treating the matter seriously and will initiate criminal cases and disciplinary action against all officials found involved once the report is received.
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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.
