Political murders: Kerala police to book social media admins spreading hate
Thiruvananthapuram(PTI): In view of the recent back-to-back murders of two political activists in the state, Kerala DGP Anil Kant on Friday directed district police chiefs to take stringent action against those spreading fake news and false message through social media and the admins of such platforms who allow discussion on them.
It has been noticed that several messages, inciting communal hatred, are being circulated through social media after the murders of the BJP functionary Ranjith Sreenivas and SDPI's K S Shan earlier this week, Kant said here in a statement.
"The admins of social media groups who permit discussions (inciting communal hatred) will be booked. The cyber wing of the state police has been asked to intensify its surveillance in all districts to check such propaganda," he said.
Not just those directly involved in the murders, but also its perpetrators, those provided them weapons, phones and logistics support would be nabbed at the earliest, he said, adding that action would be taken to find the source of money of criminal gangs.
The DGP also directed to prepare a list of criminals and history-sheeters belonging to both groups on a district-level basis, arrest absconding criminals and also ensure that those released on bail are not violating the bail conditions.
Police on Thursday made it clear that as many as 30 cases had been registered across the state in the last five days against some people for spreading provocative messages through social media platforms in a manner that incites communal hatred.
One person was arrested in a case registered by the West Police in Kollam district in this regard, an official statement said.
Shan, the state secretary of SDPI, was killed by a gang on Saturday night while he was on his way home in Alappuzha, while the BJP OBC Morcha state secretary Sreenivas was hacked to death in front of his family by some assailants in his house on Sunday morning in the same district.
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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.
