Connect with us

Feature

Sadhvi Pragya makes controversial Karkare remark, apologises after outrage

Published

on

Two days after joining the BJP and being fielded for Lok Sabha polls, Malegaon bomb blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur on Friday said then Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare had died during the 26/11 terror attack because of her “curse”, triggering a major outcry following which she apologized.

Thakur, who is out on bail after serving over nine years in jail in connection with the September 29, 2008 blast in Maharashtra’s Malegaon in which six people were killed and nearly 100 injured, recounted at a public meeting here the episode of her arrest and interrogation in the case.

The 48-year-old, who has a long association with the Sangh Parivar, claimed that when she was in a Mumbai jail, the head of the probe had called Karkare and said that she should be released as there was “no evidence” against her.
Image result for Sadhvi Pragya makes controversial Karkare remark, apologises after outrage
“Then Karkare asked me various questions and I replied ‘God knows’. At this, Karkare asked whether he would have to go to the God to get the answers. Then, I told him that he would be destroyed and he was cursed… within a month and a half, he fell victim to the terrorists’ bullets,” said Thakur who has been fielded by the BJP from Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency against Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

Karkare was killed on the night of November 26, 2008 when 10 terrorists from Pakistan struck Mumbai at various places.

“Hindus believe that a period of one and a half month after anyone’s birth or death is of ritual impurity. When Karkare asked me these questions, this period started for him and ended with him being killed by the terrorists,” said Thakur, who was born in Bhind area of Madhya Pradesh.

The comments triggered a major outcry, with parties like the Congress, AAP and AIMIM, besides the Indian Police Service Association, condemning her remarks.

In the evening, Thakur said, “It was my personal pain. I take back my statement and apologise.”

She said she was taking back her remarks as she “felt that the enemies of the country are being benefited” from it.

She said Karkare was a “martyr” who died from the bullets of terrorists from the enemy country.
Image result for Sadhvi Pragya makes controversial Karkare remark, apologises after outrage
Earlier, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, condemning the comments, demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and action against her.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh lashed out at Sadhvi Pragya for insulting a decorated dead police officer and accused her of dragging the current nationalism discourse to a new low.

In a hard-hitting reaction to the “sickening and repulsive” comment, he said: “That woman cannot be sane. No person in their sane mind can think or talk like that, and that too about a police officer who sacrificed his life for the nation.”

The AAP said BJP must apologize for insulting Karkare, with its chief Arvind Kejriwal calling the comments “disgraceful”.

AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi also slammed Thakur’s comment.

“Hemant Karkare died fighting people not very different from yourself. He didn’t die because a terror accused ‘felt bad’ and ‘cursed’ him. The man died fighting to protect our rights to vote and elect a government,” he said, adding: “How dare BJP insult our martyrs like this?”

In a tweet from its official handle, the IPS (Central) Association said: “Ashok Chakra awardee late Hemant Karkare, IPS, made the supreme sacrifice fighting terrorists. Those of us in uniform condemn the insulting statement made by a candidate and demand that sacrifices of all our martyrs be respected.”

Amid the outrage, the BJP distanced itself from Thakur’s comments.

BJP leader and former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain told media: “Those who died for the country, we consider them martyrs. We don’t raise questions on their martyrdom.”

BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said that the remarks might be Thakur’s point of view.

“We respect every son and daughter of India who sacrificed their lives for motherland. What Pragyaji has said, that would evidently be her point of view perhaps because she herself underwent an investigation. We salute sacrifice of Karkareji and would not do politics on it,” he said.

Thakur was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. She was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in 2017.

Charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against her have been dropped and she is now being tried under the stringent anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Entertainment

Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists

Published

on

By

PureWin Online Betting

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.

Continue Reading

Trending