T'gana Cong protests, former minister Renuka Chowdhury "grabs" cop's collar
Hyderabad, Jun 16: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury was on Thursday seen allegedly grabbing the collar of a police official during a protest here by the party against the grilling of top party leader Rahul Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering case pertaining to the National Herald-AJL deal.
A video showing Chowdhury "arguing" with police officials who were trying to prevent her from going to Raj Bhavan and later she allegedly holding the collar of a police official, went viral.
She was immediately taken away by women police personnel.
Later, Chowdhury told TV channels that she had no intention of humiliating the police official and she merely caught hold of his shoulder as she was about to fall when being pushed.
"We know how to respect the uniform. Police also have to learn to respect women. I have no intention of hitting policemen. That is not my intention at all. But I was being manhandled. I was losing my balance and I was falling on that man. You can see that in the visuals very clearly that they are suddenly trying to push me and that is the reason my hand slipped from when I was (trying to hold the shoulder) reaching for his shoulder he moved and I caught his collar. It was not my intention to humiliate him or anything like that," she said.
When contacted, a senior police official said Chowdhury was subsequently taken into preventive custody.
During the protest, Chowdhury also said: "If you touch me...I drag you up to the Parliament. Khabardar (beware) if you mess with us. We are peacefully walking along with women. What is this drama. Somehow you provoke and brand Congress on the consequences. I paid taxes for these roads . I am a citizen. I have a right more than police have (to walk on the road). If I try to enter Raj Bhavan you can question me".
Earlier, mild tension prevailed near Raj Bhavan, after scores of Congress leaders and workers held a protest against the grilling of Rahul Gandhi.
As a large number of Congress leaders and party workers marched towards the Raj Bhavan in an attempt to lay siege to it as part of a "Chalo Raj Bhavan" call given by Congress' Telangana unit, police foiled their attempts and dispersed them even as the party said some of its leaders were injured due to lathi charge by police.
A senior police official said there was no permission for the "Chalo Raj Bhavan" rally adding few police personnel also suffered minor injuries during the protest.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and party MP A Revanth Reddy, Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and several others were taken into preventive custody by police as they were proceeding towards the Raj Bhavan.
The protest caused traffic snarls on Khairtabad Circle and surrounding areas.
A two-wheeler was burnt allegedly by some protesters, who also demonstrated on the road even as some of them were seen protesting atop a state-run city bus even as window panes of the bus were smashed allegedly by an agitator. Window panes of a car were also allegedly damaged by the protesters.
The protesters raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also police.
#WATCH | Telangana: Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury holds a Policeman by his collar while being taken away by other Police personnel during the party's protest in Hyderabad over ED summons to Rahul Gandhi. pic.twitter.com/PBqU7769LE
— ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2022
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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.
