Feature
When UP police ask media persons to watch live encounter of criminals
Lucknow: Two criminals were killed in an encounter with police in Harduaganj area in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district on Thursday during which cops ask media persons to join live coverage.
In a bid to convey its transparent approach during encounters, the UP Police reportedly invited the media to film an encounter with two criminals that was going to take place in Aligarh’s Harduaganj district.
Video footage from the encounter site in Aligarh shows policemen armed with guns taking aim and firing.
Accompanied by policemen, reporters and camera crews were asked to stay “at least 100 metres” away from the encounter site, reported leading English newspaper. No bullet-proof vests or helmets were provided to them.
They were identified as Mustaqeem and Naushad, who carried a bounty of Rs 25,000 each on their heads, the police said.
Police tried to stop the motorcycle-borne criminals at a checkpost. Instead of stopping, the duo opened fire at the police, leading to a chase and exchange of fire, they said.
The two were injured grievously in the firing and rushed to the district hospital, where they were declared brought dead, they said.
A police inspector was also injured in the encounter.
Journalists ask to cover live encounter of two criminals by UP police cops:
Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Sahani told reporters that before Mustaqeem and Naushad died on the way to the hospital, they confessed that they were also involved in the killing of two sadhus earlier this month.
However, Naushad’s mother, Shaheen, refuted the charges.
She alleged that the police picked up her son and Mustaqeem from their house in Atrauli.
Shaheen said the two were innocent and did not have any criminal record as the police claimed.
Former Aligarh MLA Haji Zameer Ullah alleged the encounter was fake and demanded a high-level probe into the incident.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has killed 63 criminals in encounters since the Yogi Adityanath-led government took charge of the state in March last year. Four policemen have been killed and over 500 people were injured in these operations that took place in various districts in order to clamp down on crime in the state.
The encounters have garnered criticism from other parties, with the Samajwadi Party calling them fake encounters. Questions have also been raised on whether the encounters are violating human rights.
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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