Activist Navdeep Singh Jalbera arrested ahead of farmers' gathering on Sunday
Ambala (Hry) (PTI): Farmer activist Navdeep Singh Jalbera has been arrested by the Haryana Police in connection with an FIR registered during the farmers' "Delhi Chalo" protest last month.
The development comes ahead of a gathering convened by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mukti Morcha (KMM) on Sunday to pay homage to Shubhkaran Singh (21), a farmer from Punjab's Bathinda who was killed in a clash with police at the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21.
The Ambala Police arrested Jalbera from Mohali on Thursday.
He was produced in a court that remanded him in the custody of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of the Haryana Police for two days.
Police said Jalbera was arrested in connection with a case registered here on February 13 under various Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 307 (attempt to murder) and for assault on police personnel.
Jalbera, a native of the eponymous village near Ambala, became famous as the "water-cannon man" for climbing atop a police water cannon in November 2020 during the farmers' movement against three central farm laws that have since been repealed.
In 2020, thousands of farmers marched towards Delhi and held an agitation at the capital's Singhu and Tikri border points for months despite heavy police barricading.
Jalbera's lawyer Rohit Jain said police have arrested three people, including his client, in connection with the case.
The FIR names 20 people, including several top farmer leaders.
Jain said the farmers have denied the charges levelled against them by police.
Police told the court that Jalbera's remand was required in order to trace his car and weapons used in the agitation.
Farmers camping at two border points between Punjab and Haryana had recently said they would continue their agitation until their demands are met.
The SKM (non-political) and KMM are spearheading the "Delhi Chalo" march to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops.
Farmers from Punjab have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13.
Both border points have a police deployment and a total barricading.
Singh was killed during a clash with police at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border. Twelve police personnel were also injured in the clash.
The clash broke out when some farmers rushed towards the police barricades and were stopped by security personnel.
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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.
