Civil society group questions PM Modi's 'silence' over Haridwar Dharam Sansad event
New Delhi, Jan 18: A group of prominent civil society members on Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" over alleged hate speeches against Muslims at the Haridwar Dharam Sansad and demanded "exemplary" action by the government against those involved.
The Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) in a statement signed by 278 people, including lyricist Javed Akhtar and actor Naseeruddin Shah, said that "no Indian ought to be surprised by the shocking silence" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite growing demand nationally and internationally that he must speak, and his government must act in "exemplary fashion" against members of the Dharam Sansad who have called for a "genocide of Indian Muslims".
"The PM's silence speaks volumes, is nothing short of a mockery of Indian democracy, a violation of the Indian Constitution which the PM has sworn to uphold during his swearing in.... His 'maun' (silence) is inexcusable," the statement said.
"In his first term as Prime Minister, Modi had promised 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' to all Indians. He went a step further in his current second term with the assurance of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas'. That these were/are nothing but insincere and hollow slogans is more than evident from the way Indian Muslims continue to be hounded, wounded and lynched," the group said.
The signatories of the IMSD statement include journalists, lawyers, academicians, civil society activists and members of the film fraternity.
Some participants at the Dharam Sansad held in Haridwar from December 17-19 have been accused of delivering highly provocative speeches against Muslims.
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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.
