Feature
Some right wing groups trying to disruptions of Friday Namaz for violence
Chandigarh: In the wake of alleged disruptions to namaz by right-wing groups at multiple locations in Gurgaon, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said such congregations should be restricted to mosques, eidgahs or private places, even as he asserted the government will ensure that law and order is maintained.
Right-wing outfits have been trying to “disrupt” Friday prayers in Gurgaon over the last two weeks alleging that some people were trying to grab land.
“Our point of view is that namaz should be offered in the precincts of religious places like mosques and Eidgahs, and if there is shortage of place for offering namaz, it should be done at private places,” Khattar said.
He was addressing a press conference here before leaving for a 10-day tour of Israel and the United Kingdom.
Over the last two weeks, there were “disruptions” to namaz at Wazirabad, the Atul Kataria Chowk, the Cyber Park, the Bakhtawar Chowk and at the South City, the police said.
The disruptions were caused allegedly by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal, the Hindu Kranti Dal, the Gau Rakshak Dal and the Shiv Sena, they said.
Asked as to what would be his government’s strategy to ensure law and order is maintained in view of such disruptions, Khattar said, “To maintain law and order is our duty and we will do it. We are ensuring that harmony is maintained and there is no tension and we have alerted our officials there.”
The BJP leader said the instances of namaz being offered at public places have been “increasing”. The Friday prayers, he said, should be offered at designated places because certain individuals or departments may have objections to it being done at public places.
Violence can take place as some groups trying to disruptions of Friday Namaz
“Till the time nobody raises objections (to namaz being offered at public places) it is okay,” the Chief Minister said. “But if there are objections from any department or any individual, then we have to be careful.”
Later, before departing on his foreign tours, Khattar said in New Delhi if anyone had any problem with somebody offering prayers at public places, he could inform the administration and the police, according to an official statement.
“It is the responsibility of the administration and police to maintain law and order and the state government is bound to maintain peace,” he added, according to the statement.
In the Chandigarh press conference, he had said the government was keeping a close watch on the issue.
“There has been an increase in this (instances of namaz being offered in public places). So we are keeping a watch on the issue (to ensure law and order is maintained). We are trying to make them understand by telling them that namaz should be offered at designated places and not public areas,” Khattar said.
The right-wing groups have been saying they would continue their protest if the administration did not stop “unauthorised” prayers at public places.
They say Muslim worshippers did not have permission to offer prayers at roadsides, parks and vacant government land in Gurgaon.
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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