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All accused involved in attacking Swiss tourists near Agra arrested by police
Agra: One of the two Swiss tourists attacked and badly injured near Agra four days ago was discharged from Delhi’s Apollo Hospital on Thursday even as five persons, including three minors, were taken into custody for the crime. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited Agra, promised better security for tourists.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said while Marie Droz had been discharged from the hospital, her male friend Quentin Jeremy Clerc’s condition was improving. The Swiss embassy in New Delhi confirmed the October 22 attack and said it was providing them consular services.
The ugly attack took place when the young couple was walking alongside a train track in Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Clerc was left with a fractured skull and several bruises.
Senior Superintendent of Police Agra, Amit Pathak, said late on Thursday evening that five persons, including three minors, have been taken into custody for the crime.
Sushma Swaraj sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government on the assault. Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons expressed deep concern.
“You would kindly appreciate that such incidents negatively impact our image and are detrimental to our efforts in promoting India as a tourism destination,” Alphons told the Chief Minister in a letter.
He said a “fast and speedy response in identifying and ensuring speedy action including conviction of the guilty would be reassuring” and would send a “good message of our efforts to prevent recurrence of such incidents”.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh’s Additional Director General of Police Chandra Prakash said one person was arrested from the Agra-Rajasthan border. He declined to reveal the identity of the arrested person.
Police took the Swiss couple to a private hospital in Agra where first aid was given. The couple refused to lodge an FIR and said they would take further treatment at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi.
UP police arrests all five accused involved in attacking Swiss tourists near Agra:
But police lodged a complaint on their own, Prakash said. “We are trying to arrest all the four persons involved in the incident.”
Adityanath said in Agra that arrests were being made and a thorough inquiry would be held.
He said touts and anti-social elements who bring a bad name to Agra and the country would be firmly dealt with. Providing security to tourists would be a top priority, he added.
Meanwhile, CPI-M leader Brinda Karat wrote to the Swiss envoy in India expressing “strong protest” over the “failure” of the authorities to provide minimum security to tourists in a wider area that houses the Taj Mahal, India’s biggest tourists draw.
“As a citizen of India, I am writing to you to express my deep regret at the shocking and horrifying violence that two young Swiss nationals … had to face on their trip to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri.
“It is shameful for us as Indians that two young tourists who had gone to visit the beautiful symbol of love should have to face this horror. Please convey our very best wishes for their speedy recovery,” she said.
In Fatehpur Sikri area, there have been numerous such incidents targeting innocent tourists, but police have not stepped up vigil, say tour guides.
Condemning the assault on the Swiss tourists, the Congress said the incident “unmasks the ugly face of Anti-Romeo Squads” in the state.
“This attack on the young foreign couple unmasks the ugly face of the Anti-Romeo squad in UP which is fully supported and patronized by the UP government. Rather than protecting tourists and residents of UP, the Chief Minister is working overtime to bring ‘acche din’ for criminals and goons,” Congress spokesman Jaiveer Shergill 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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