I had prepared written list of what I would feed him, couldn't do it as we didn't get enough time
Umar Khalid's mother recalls the anxious week when he was out on interim bail
New Delhi: Sabiha Khanum, mother of jailed student activist Umar Khalid in a recent interview with Maktoob Media recalled the week when Umar was out on interim bail to attend his sister’s wedding. In the video interview, Sabiha Khanum recalls how quickly the week passed and how she could not feed Umar everything she had planned to feed him during his time at home.
She also said that it was a mixed feeling and while the family was happy he was home, they were also anxious that he was out for only one week. She hoped Umar to be soon acquitted of all the charges and would come back home.
“They serve only vegetarian food in the jail, they don’t even serve eggs. So I prepared a written list of what I would feed him and what would I make for him. But since there was a wedding at home, and there were so many guests, I couldn’t feed him everything from the list. When all the guests left, it felt like, now is the right time for Umar to stay. There was anxiety, even he had anxiety and now I regret about not making this and that for him.” She said in the video.
“When we were returning to the Tihar Jail to surrender, even then I took kebabs with me so I can feed him on the way. But he was returning and it was difficult but still, I gave him small portions asking him to eat little by little. And even at the gate of the jail, I was forcing him to eat kebab.” She added.
Sabiha Khanum also added that Umar wanted to live the most out of that week and that he would not sleep at night just to be with the family and people.
“We were asking him to take rest. But it was a mixed feeling and it’s hard to express. While we were happy about his visit, one thing that was always on the back of our mind was that he has to go back.” She added.
Speaking about the negative image that has been built of Umar, Sabiha Khanum said that it was systematically worked out since 2016 and the masses do not know the truth.
“One thing that happened because of his constant targeting since 2016 was the masses did not know the truth. They only believed what the media and TV showed them and they created their own perception. They have formed a strategy to shout in the studios and to create a narrative, after that people start believing that and nobody wants to know the truth.” She added.
She also spoke about how Umar was falsely implicated in cases and added that the cops were wasting the time of the court and judges which could’ve been used to clear other pending cases. She also said that the family is now approaching the Supreme Court and hoped that Umar and other activists would get relief from the Apex Court.
“Sometimes when I go to the trial, I wonder why and how such a huge amount of resources are being used behind a baseless case. We hoped we would get relief from the HC, we really hoped that, but we didn’t. But Umar and other activists have not lost hope, they are out there in jail with great courage and hope even when they are going through so much.
“People should know about the stories of these activists who have sacrificed the most important years of their life for the country and for the people of the country. They should know about them and their sacrifices.” She said during the interview while also conceding that Umar was targeted due to his Muslim identity.
"He was Muslim and he dared to speak the truth and looked into the eyes of the establishment against what was wrong. If the establishment believes that Muslims should live under their shadow, the Muslim youth should speak up and take a stand against it. They should side with the truth." she said towards the end of the interview.
Watch the full interview:
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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.
