Kapurthala lynching: Gurdwara caretaker arrested for murder
Chandigarh(PTI): The Punjab Police on Friday arrested the caretaker of a Kapurthala gurdwara for the lynching of a man and he has been charged with murder, a senior official said on Friday.
The incident had taken place at Nizampur village in Kapurthala on Sunday, a day after a similar case at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where a man was lynched over an alleged sacrilege bid.
Gurdwara caretaker Amarjit Singh had earlier claimed that he saw the victim "disrespecting" a Sikh religious flag.
Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi told reporters in Chandigarh that the government was mulling over registering a murder case as no evidence was found backing the desecration charge.
Jalandhar Range Inspector General of Police Gurinder Singh Dhillon told PTI over the phone that Amarjit Singh has been arrested for murder.
"There is no visible sign of sacrilege till now," said Dhillon.
"We have modified the already registered FIR in the incident and added offences of Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), and arrested main accused Amarjit Singh for murder," he said.
Police have registered a case against around 100 people, of which 25 to 30 were armed, he said.
"There is videography and there are photographs (of the day of the incident). Since an SHO was present (police had reached the gurdwara when the victim was being beaten up), he will be able to identify them during investigation and due course of law will follow," said Dhillon.
Asked if there was any update on the victim's identity, he said a medical board has taken samples for DNA testing.
As far as physical identification is concerned, based on videography and photography, so far it has not been possible, the police officer added.
Earlier in the day when asked on the desecration row, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi had told reporters that the government was mulling over registering a murder case.
"We did not find any sacrilege attempt or any evidence to back it. One person ran the gurdwara. This thing has moved to murder and inquiry is on," Channi had said, adding that the FIR will be amended.
About 30 injuries, mostly sharp cuts likely to have been inflicted by swords, were found on the man's body, according to the post-mortem report.
A case under Section 295 A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings) had been registered on the complaint of the gurdwara manager, who had claimed that he saw the man trying to disrespect the 'Nishan Sahib' (religious flag).
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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.
