Man sneaks into West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's residence, spends night; arrested
Kolkata, Jul 3: A man sneaked into Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence in south Kolkata's Kalighat area in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The incident triggered a security scare with questions being raised that how he went past the Z-Plus security cover that the chief minister gets, and enter her private residence in the 'highly secure' neighbourhood to spend a night without anyone noticing.
The man scaled a wall of Banerjee's house at 34B Harish Chatterjee Street to enter around 1 am, police said.
"An incident of security breach was reported at the residence of the chief minister. A person somehow sneaked into the CM's residence complex with mischievous intention," police said.
He remained inside the house, spending the night sitting at a corner, and was spotted only in the morning by security personnel, a senior police officer told PTI.
"They informed the Kalighat police station, which arrested the man," he added.
Police said that going by the appearance of the man, "he seemed to be somewhat mentally unstable".
"We are talking to him and trying to find out his whereabouts. We are also trying to find out whether someone instructed him to enter the CM's residence with a motive. An investigation is underway," the officer said.
Police said immediate steps are being taken to enhance security in and around the CM's residence.
Long iron bars have been put up at the Kalighat bridge near Banerjee's residence to keep a check on any unwanted movement, they said.
The chief minister of West Bengal does not have an official residence, and Banerjee's house is located in one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Kolkata, near the centuries-old Kalighat temple, on the bank of a canal -- Adi Ganga.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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
===================
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.
