SIT says Dharmasthala mass burial allegations were fabricated; 6 accused named
Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has told a Beltangady court that the alleged Dharmasthala mass burial case was a completely fabricated conspiracy by anti-Dharmasthala activists.
The SIT named six accused in the case, Chinnayya (A1), Mahesh Shetty Timrodi, Girish Mattannanavar, Jayanth, Vitthal Gowda, and Sujatha Bhatt. In its preliminary report, the SIT said Dharmasthala authorities had no role in the allegations and issued them a clean chit, as reported by India Today on Wednesday.
The SIT reportedly said, the first accused, Chinnayya, was paid, pressured and coached to give false statements. A false narrative of “mass burials” was allegedly built to target Dharmasthala, with the accused procuring a skull, staging evidence, and recording coached statements.
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The SIT also stated that conspiracy meetings were held at the residence of Mahesh Shetty Timrodi. Video clips, bank transaction details, electronic records and witness statements have reportedly been recovered as part of the probe. The SIT concluded, in its preliminary report, that the mass burial allegations were fabricated and orchestrated as part of a planned conspiracy.
According to the report, the SIT has now sought court permission to arrest five of the accused. Arrests could take place any moment if approval is granted, and the agency is preparing for custodial interrogation to file its final report.
Reacting to the filing of the charge sheet, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar reportedly said he had already stated in the Assembly that the accusations were part of a conspiracy.
“Some of our own leaders asked me about it. I knew the allegations were not factual and that a conspiracy was underway. But ultimately, the truth has prevailed. Justice has been done,” IT quoted Shivakumar as saying.
Shivakumar said that he had not yet seen the charge sheet and only learned about it through the media. He said the law must take its own course and warned that such conspiracies would damage institutions that had existed for years. As per the report, he also commented on differences between the RSS and the BJP, saying they were “deeply connected to this conspiracy.”
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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.
