On Kanpur violence, Mayawati asks UP govt to take action by 'rising above religion, caste'
Lucknow(PTI): Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati Saturday attacked the state government over the violence and stone-pelting in Kanpur, asking the BJP dispensation to take action against the culprits "by rising above religion, caste and party politics".
Her statement came after violence broke out in Kanpur on Friday, a day when President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended a function at the president's ancestral village in Kanpur Dehat.
Bombs were hurled and gunshots fired during the violence as members of a group attempted to shut shops over alleged insulting remarks made by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma during a television debate recently, a senior police official said.
In a tweet Saturday, Mayawati said, "Riots and violence that erupted in Kanpur during the visit of the president and the prime minister to Uttar Pradesh is very sad, unfortunate and worrying and also a sign of the failure of the police intelligence.
"The government has to understand that in the absence of law and order, how investment and development are possible in the state?" she said.
She said the government should take strict legal action against the culprits "by rising above religion, caste and party politics and conduct an independent and impartial high-level inquiry".
She also appealed to people to avoid provocative speeches and maintain law and order, and peace.
According to senior police officials, the situation in Kanpur is under control on Saturday morning, but heavy police force has been deployed in the violence-hit areas.
Police have initiated investigation and arrested at least 18 people.
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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.
