Withdraw Kangana Ranaut's Padma Shri: Delhi Sikh body to President
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Sunday wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him that the Padma Shri conferred on actor Kangana Ranaut be withdrawn as she was "spreading communal hatred, targeting a religious community, and insulting farmers and freedom fighters".
The Sikh body filed a police complaint against her on Saturday for allegedly making seditious and derogatory remarks on social media.
In his letter to the President, DSGMC and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Ranaut has been "deliberately provoking Sikhs" making references to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
"She does not deserve this honour. She does not represent the spirit of India which is based on harmony and goodness for all. Considering the social sentiments, Padma Shri should be withdrawn from her immediately for insulting farmers, Sikhs, and freedom fighters," he said.
Sirsa said a DSGMC delegation will go to Mumbai on Monday to meet Maharashtra's Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil and lodge a complaint against Ranaut at the Khar police station.
He said he will meet the deputy commissioner of police to ensure the registration of an FIR against her.
"This time it will be ensured that Kangana Ranaut does not get bail and she goes to jail for spitting venom against Sikhs time and again. She is playing the card of Hindutva for cheap publicity," Sirsa alleged.
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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.
