Offering 'namaz' in open spaces will not be tolerated: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar
Chandigarh, Dec 10: With several Hindu outfits objecting to Friday prayers being offered in open spaces in Gurgaon, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the practice of offering 'namaz' in the open "will not be tolerated".
He also said the district administration's prior decision to reserve some spots for holding prayers in open spaces has been withdrawn and the state government will now work out an amicable solution to the issue.
"The practice of offering namaz here (Gurgaon) in open spaces will not be tolerated...But we all will sit to find an amicable solution," the chief minister told reporters in Gurgaon, responding to a question on the objections raised by several right-wing outfits to offering 'namaz' in open spaces in the NCR city.
"Everyone should get the facility (to offer prayers), but nobody should infringe on others' rights. It will not be allowed," Khattar said.
On withdrawing the district administration's decision to earmark some places for holding prayers in open spaces, he said, "We have told the police and the Deputy Commissioner that this issue has to be resolved . If somebody offers namaz, holds paaths at one's place we have no objection to that.
"Religious places are built for this very purpose that people go there and offer prayers. Such programmes should not be held in open spaces," he said.
"Confrontation should be avoided by offering namaz in open spaces. We will also not allow confrontation (to build between two sides)," he said.
Over the past some months, members of some Hindu outfits have been gathering at sites where the Muslim community offers 'namaz' in open space, and raising "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Jai Shri Ram" slogans.
Three years ago, the district administration had designated 37 sites in Gurgaon city for Muslims to offer Friday namaz after which there were protests by some Hindu groups.
A few months ago, one group started protests against the prayers offered in the open after which there have been protests on Fridays for the past several weeks.
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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.
