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Two soldiers, three militants killed during overnight gunfight in Kashmir
Srinagar: Two soldiers and three militants were killed in an overnight gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Sunday, police said.
According to police told media persons today that at-least three militants were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Shopian district of south Kashmir.
The three militants, who are yet to be identified, were holed up in a house in Awneera village.
Two Army men had lost their life in the gunfight yesterday, while three others were injured.
The Director General of Police (DGP), S P Vaid told journalists that three militants have been killed in the encounter at Zainapora in Shopian.
“The encounter has ended, but searches are continuing in the area,” the police said, adding that two other militants had escaped.
Three soldiers were injured in the gunfight. They were were shifted to an Army base hospital in Srinagar’s Badami Bagh area.
Acting on specific information, the security forces surrounded the village on Saturday evening upon which they were fired at by the militants that resulted in the gunfight, a police spokesman said.
According to local media reports, the youth clashed with the security forces to break the cordon around the village.
Two Indian army soldiers, three militants killed in overnight encounter in Kashmir:
Near about seven civilians sustained pellet injuries.
Vaid said the identity and group affiliation of the slain militants is being ascertained.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation following information about presence of militants in Avneera village of Zainapora area of the district yesterday.
As the forces were conducting searches, the militants opened fire on them which was retaliated by the law enforcement personnel, triggering a gunfight.
Five soldiers were injured in the gunfight yesterday and were evacuated to 92 Base Hospital of the Army for treatment.
Two soldiers among them succumbed to injuries last night.
The operation was halted for the night but the forces maintained cordon of the area to stop the militants from fleeing.
The gunfight resumed this morning and the three militants were killed.
A defence spokesman identified the slain Army men as Sepoy Ilayaraja P, a resident of Tamil Nadu, and Sepoy Gawai Sumedh Waman, a resident of Maharashtra.
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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