Nupur Sharma seeks time to appear before Bhiwandi police over remarks against Prophet Mohammad
Thane(PTI): Suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who was summoned by the Bhiwandi police in Maharashtra on Monday over her alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad, has sought time to appear before the police to record her statement, a senior official said.
Sharma has been granted time and will not appear before the Bhiwandi police on Monday, he said.
The official did not specify how much time Sharma has been granted.
The Bhiwandi police in Thane district had registered a case against Sharma over her remarks about the Prophet during a TV debate, following a complaint lodged by a representative of the Raza Academy on May 30, he said.
They had also registered a case against expelled BJP functionary Naveen Kumar Jindal over his alleged controversial tweets against Prophet Mohammad and asked him to record his statement on June 15, an official earlier said.
The Bhiwandi police on Sunday detained a 19-year-old Muslim man for allegedly posting a derogatory remark on Prophet Mohammad and showing support to Nupur Sharma over her controversial comments, a senior official earlier said.
The accused was taken into custody by the police after tense situation prevailed in the town over his viral social media post, which angered members of the Muslim community, he said.
The man has apologised, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-II, Bhiwandi, Yogesh Chavan said on Sunday night, adding that an offence was registered against him under Indian Penal Code Section 153A (promoting disharmony, enmity or feelings of hatred between different groups).
Chavan appealed to citizens of the town not to believe in rumours and help the police in maintaining law and order.
Earlier, the Mumbra police in Thane asked Sharma to appear before them on June 22 to record her statement over her remarks.
The Mumbai Police have also summoned her to record a statement on June 25 in connection with her remarks about the Prophet during a TV debate triggered a huge controversy.
The police had asked for a video of the debate from the news channel concerned.
The BJP had on June 5 suspended its national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled Delhi BJP media head Jindal after their alleged derogatory remarks against the Prophet led to an outrage in India and Gulf countries.
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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.
