Police action against Panchamasali Lingayats protest sparks uproar in Karnataka Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka), Dec 12: The police lathi charge on Panchamasali Lingayat protesters near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha here earlier this week sparked uproar in the Karnataka Assembly on Thursday with state Home Minister G Parameshwara defending the police action and the opposition BJP demanding a government apology and judicial inquiry into the incident.
The Assembly witnessed multiple adjournments as BJP members insisted on a government statement. When Speaker U T Khader eventually allowed Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to respond, he blamed the previous BJP government for unresolved reservation issues, despite the Home Minister already addressing the police action.
The protests by the Panchamasali Lingayat community demanding reservation turned violent on Tuesday. Demonstrators, demanding inclusion in the 2A (15%) category of the OBC reservation matrix instead of the current 3B (5%), allegedly threw stones, prompting the police to resort to lathi charge.
Several protesters and police personnel were injured during the clashes. Among those detained were Basava Jayamruthunjaya Swami of Panchamasali Peetha, BJP MLAs Basangouda Patil Yatnal and Arvind Bellad, and Rajya Sabha MP Iranna Kadadi.
After an obituary reference to two former legislators, BJP leader R Ashoka demanded a statement from CM Siddaramaiah or the Home Minister.
Despite the Speaker's assurance to address the matter after the Question Hour, BJP protests forced an initial adjournment.
When the House reconvened, Home Minister Parameshwara defended the police action, citing maintenance of law and order.
Noting that over 10,000 people had gathered at the protest site, he said Siddaramaiah had sent a ministerial delegation to receive their memorandum. However, protesters insisted that the CM visit the site, which the minister deemed unreasonable.
Parameshwara accused protesters of marching towards Suvarna Vidhana Soudha despite restrictions, removing barricades, and pelting stones at the police, injuring 24 personnel.
He justified the lathi charge as a necessary measure to maintain law and order and said, "This government will not allow anyone to take the law into their hands, irrespective of their religion or community."
Responding to BJP criticisms, Parameshwara asked, "Should we welcome 10,000 protesters with kisses instead of trying to disperse them to maintain order?"
He also sought to know how former Home Ministers R Ashoka and Araga Jnanendra would have handled the situation.
Condemning the lathi charge, Leader of Opposition, Ashoka said during the previous BJP government, a larger protest by the Panchamasali Lingayat community in Bengaluru was managed peacefully.
He demanded a government apology, action against police officers responsible for the lathi charge, withdrawal of cases against protesters, and a judicial inquiry.
Congress MLA Vijayanand Kashappanavar, himself a Panchamasali Lingayat leader, alleged that the protest was "politically motivated" and orchestrated by BJP members.
He further accused RSS elements of instigating the violence, which led to a heated exchange between BJP and Congress legislators.
The Speaker’s decision to allow Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to speak instead of BJP MLAs added to the chaos, forcing an adjournment for lunch.
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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.
