Prime accused in AASU leader lynching case killed in accident while trying to flee police custody
Jorhat (Assam), Dec 1: Neeraj Das alias 'Kola Lora', the prime accused in the AASU leader lynching case, died on Wednesday after being hit by a police vehicle "as he was trying to escape police custody", a senior officer said.
A total 13 people, including Das, were arrested in the last two days in connection with the lynching of All Assam Students' Union (AASU) leader Animesh Bhuyan.
"During interrogation, Das had revealed that a big drug consignment was coming... A police team, in its bid to intercept the consignment, was on the way to Mariani along with Das around 2 am. In between, there is a lonely stretch on the Chinamora-Mariani road where Das tried to escape by jumping off the vehicle.
"The police vehicle, which was moving at a high speed, hit the accused accidentally as he was trying to flee. The driver of the vehicle then lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a wall, and was damaged," Jorhat Superintendent of Police Ankur Jain told PTI.
Das along with the injured police personnel were taken to hospital.
"Doctors at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital declared Das 'brought dead'. Three police personnel have sustained injuries in the accident," Jain said.
The SP had on Tuesday said that Das was a drug peddler, who was earlier arrested in one such case but later released on bail. Dozens of other cases have also been filed against him in the past.
Taking to Twitter, Special DGP (Law and Order) G P Singh said around 2.29 am, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - Newton's Third Law."
As the news of the death of the prime accused spread, people came out on the road at several places in Jorhat city, a major educational hub in Upper Assam, and burst crackers in jubilation.
Out of the 13 accused in the lynching case, 12 were produced before court on Tuesday.
They were manhandled by angry people in the court complex, but none was injured.
Seven were remanded in police custody for five days and the remaining five in judicial custody.
The main culprit, Das, was not produced before the court as he was arrested on Tuesday morning. The police were supposed to present him in court on Wednesday.
Bhuyan was beaten to death by a group of people following a heated argument over an accident in Jorhat city on Monday. An elderly man fell down from a scooter next to Bhuyan's four-wheeler but some people claimed that the AASU leader hit his two-wheeler.
He and his two friends had got down from the vehicle to help the elderly person.
Das and some others, who were nearby, rushed to the spot and attacked Bhuyan and his friends, accusing them of causing the accident.
The lynching took place in front of scores of onlookers, who filmed the incident on mobile phones.
Bhuyan was the education secretary of Brahmaputra Regional Committee of AASU's Golaghat district unit. One of his two companions, who were injured in the melee, is local reporter Mridusmanta Baruah and the other Pranay Dutta, both AASU members.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - Newton's Third Law
— GP Singh (@gpsinghips) November 30, 2021
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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.
