Feature
Indian Army kills Pakistani plotter of CRPF convoy attacker in revenge
Srinagar: A Pakistani JeM terrorist who plotted the suicide bombing on a CRPF convoy and an Indian Major were among nine people killed in fighting between security forces and militants that also left 10 security personnel, including a senior police officer and three Army officers, injured in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities said on Monday.
In the biggest crackdown after the February 14 attack by a suicide bomber killed 49 CRPF troopers in Pulwama district, the security forces ringed a militant hideout in Pinglena village, just 10 km from the terror attack site, triggering a gun battle overnight Sunday which continued intermittently till Monday evening.
A Major and three soldiers besides a civilian were killed in the initial burst of gunfire by the militants. The Army, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) fought back, killing three militants of the Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), one of them a Pakistani identified as Kamran.
The soldiers who died were identified as Major Vibhuti Shankar Dhoundiyal, Hawaldar Sheo Ram and Sepoys Hari Singh and Ajay Kumar. The second slain militant was identified as Bilal Ahmed Naik, a Kashmiri. The third militant’s identity was not known.
The security forces recovered the bodies of the militants and were carrying out searches in the area when some militants hiding in a cow shed suddenly opened fire, injuring Deputy Inspector General of Police Amit Kumar, Brigadier Harbir Singh, a Lt Colonel, a Captain and five soldiers and a Sub-Inspector of SOG.
Amit Kumar’s Personal Security Officer (PSO), Abdul Rashid, was killed.
All the injured, were rushed to the 92 Base Hospital of the Army, police said. “A fourth terrorist is still firing,” said an officer.
Pakistani plotter of CRPF convoy attack killed by Indian army to take revenge:
The Pakistani terrorist who was killed reportedly masterminded the February 14 attack on the CRPF, inflicting the worst loss suffered by security forces at one go since militancy erupted in the state in 1989.
Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said: “One of the two slain JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) terrorists was a top commander and belonged to Pakistan.” The civilian who died was identified as Mushtaq Ahmad.
As the fighting raged, civilians poured out of their homes in nearby areas and pelted stones at the security personnel in a bid to help the militants escape.
The security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.
“Citizens are requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since it is a prohibited zone and can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials,” an official said.
“People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials if any.”
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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