Nagaland firing issue raised in RS; Opposition demands statement from home minister
New Delhi, Dec 6: The Nagaland firing incident in which 14 civilians were killed during an anti-insurgency operation by security forces was raised in Rajya Sabha Monday morning as Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge demanded the home minister make a statement on the matter.
There has been a very serious and most tragic development in which six innocent civilians were killed on December 4 by security forces in Mon district of Nagaland mistaking them for militants, Kharge said in the morning session, expressing concerns over the incident.
This horrific oversight led to clashes resulting in the reported death of eight more civilians and one security person, the senior Congress leader said.
"Sir, the matter is very serious and horrendous. We demand a statement by the Minister of Home Affairs on it in the House today only. It is a serious matter, I request you to direct the minister to make a statement," Kharge said, addressing the Chair.
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he had a talk with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and also with Home Minister Amit Shah.
"The home minister has written to me saying that he will definitely make a statement today afternoon," the chairman said, disallowing any other member to speak on the issue saying it has already been raised by the Leader of Opposition.
He assured the members that they will be permitted to seek clarification after the minister's statement.
"This is a very serious issue, very unfortunate. It is also sensitive. Let us keep the sensitivity in mind and at the same time the seriousness of the issue," he added.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal also said the matter is serious. "The government is seized of the matter. The government will make a detailed statement on this issue," he said.
Naidu later called for the first Zero Hour mention. During Zero Hour, matters are raised with the permission of the Chair.
However, several members wanted to raise their points.
As multiple MPs spoke simultaneously, Naidu referred to TMC member Derek O'Brien, and said "you can't speak as you like".
A visibly upset Naidu tried to move ahead with the Zero Hour, but the protest continued.
"The House is adjourned sacrificing Zero Hour, public issues because of some people for not cooperating," he said and adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.
Earlier, Naidu informed that Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP Banda Prakash had called on him and informed him about his resignation from the Rajya Sabha with effect from December 4.
He said the TRS MP resigned "voluntarily" and his resignation has been accepted.
The chairman also informed the House that Leader of JD (U) Ram Nath Thakur has informed that member Mahendra Prasad is undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital and has sought leave of absence from the entire proceedings of the Winter Session. The House granted him the leave of absence.
Naidu also said some members had given notice under Rule 267 (Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States - Rajya Sabha) for suspension of the listed business of the day to take up the issues raised by them. The notices were not permitted.
The Chairman further said a notice has also been received under Rule 267 (discussion on a matter of public interest), which he has to examine.
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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.
