Feature
Top LeT militant Bashir Lashkari killed in Anantnag shootout
Srinagar: Security forces on Saturday used explosives to blast a house in Anantnag district where four LeT militants were holed up, killing two of them including top commander Bashir Lashkari.
In a major success, security forces on Saturday used explosives to blast a house in Anantnag district in Kashmir Valley killing two holed-up LeT militants, including top commander Bashir Lashkari who was behind the killing of five policemen and an officer last month.
Two civilians, including a woman, were also killed in the cross-fire between security forces and the hiding militants in Brenthi Batapora village in Anantnag district. The civilians were part of a stone pelting crowd of protesters attacking the security forces during the operation.
Security forces said the gunfire exchanges at the shootout site in Brenthi Batapora village had stopped after the house was blasted.
“Two militants have been killed whose bodies were seen under the debris of the house that was brought down to ensure that militants did not escape,” a senior police officer said.
“The identification process of the slain militants is underway, while a search operation at the encounter site is going on to ensure there are no other militants hiding,” the officer added.
One of the two slain militants is said to be Bashir Lashkari, a top LeT commander who carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head. He belonged to Kokernag area.
The other slain militant is believed to be Azad Ahmed Malik alias Tada who belonged to Arwani village area of Anantnag.
Lashkari, according to security forces, had masterminded and carried out an attack in Achabal area of Anantnag last month in which six policemen, including Station House Officer (SHO) Feroz Dar, were killed and their bodies mutilated.
A middle-aged woman identified as Tahira and a youth, Shadab Ahmad, were killed in the cross firing between the security forces and the hiding militants in Brenthi village, according to a police spokesman.
While the woman was killed in the morning, the youth was hit by a bullet. He was shifted to a Srinagar hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
Massive protests had broken out in the village as stone pelting protesters clashed with the security forces near the gunfight site.
Twelve people were injured during the clashes.
There was a standoff between the holed up militants and the security forces in the village because some civilians were present inside the house where the militants were hiding.
A senior police officer told reporters that 17 civilians were rescued from the shootout site before the security forces started the final assault against the holed up militants and blasted the house.
The cross-firing had initially begun after security forces launched an operation in the village following a tip-off about the militants hiding in the village.
Additional forces were rushed to the spot, including paramilitary troops and a helicopter, to secure the safe release of the civilians trapped in the house, police said.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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