24 tribal men face social boycott in Kerala for consuming beef
Idukki, Dec 11: Twenty-four tribal men in Kerala's Idukki district have been allegedly socially ostracised by the "oorukoottams" (council of tribals) for allegedly consuming beef, which is against their custom.
Police said the incidents were reported from Marayoor forest areas in this hill district and the authorities of the local self government and tribal department are trying to resolve the issue by talking to chiefs of tribal communities.
They said no case has been registered as no one has come forward to launch a formal complaint with the police on the matter.
Police said they have launched an investigation based on the information they received from various quarters on the issue of social boycott of tribal men.
A senior police officer told PTI that 24 men allegedly consumed beef after coming out of their hamlets in forest areas.
The oorukoottams, which came to know about it, assembled under the leadership of their chiefs and ordered social boycott of the men who allegedly violated the centuries old tradition and customs of the community, police said.
Police said the men facing social boycott could not be contacted as they have reportedly withdrawn deep inside the forests following the oorukoottams' decision.
Their family members including parents, siblings, wives and children have been allegedly prevented from meeting them, police said.
"If the family members meet the ousted men, they will also face similar problems. That is the situation prevailing there" police said.
Kerala Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes K Radhakrishnan told PTI that efforts were on to resolve the issue.
He said such customs and practices are still prevalent in tribal communities in the state and efforts were on to bring them to the mainstream.
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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.
