Feature
Amidst tension around ousting of provost, LU teachers offer resignation
Following the violence outside Kailash girls hostel near Lucknow University and students’ protest against the removal of its provost, teachers, as many as 95 of the University have offered to resign. The teachers said that they find it unsafe for them to work in such a ‘violent atmosphere’.
The teachers also alleged that members of the ABVP and students led by them, misbehaved and attacked them. Teachers from the Proctorial Board, Provost Board and Dean Student Welfare Committee Wednesday called for “strict action” against all culprits irrespective of their affiliation to student wings of political parties.
Sheela Mishra, provost of Kailash Hostel on Tuesday was suspended after students claiming themselves of being from the Samajwadi Chatra Sabha, complained taking into account a video that showed her son dancing with some of the hostel girls.
Chief Proctor Prof Nishi Pandey told Aaj Ki Khabar, “The situation is well under control. An FIR has been lodged against 21 students while the teachers resignation have not been accepted after the VC assured them that they will not face any inconvinience of any sorts.”
The university also ordered Mishra to vacate her accommodation in the hostel by Wednesday evening.
However, some girl students on Tuesday came out in support of Mishra and sat in protest outside the hostel. ABVP members also joined in after which the university, in fear of an untoward incident called upon the police. When the police arrived, the protest soon turned violent as students turned to attack the teachers, damaging their vehicles and setting their houses on fire. Protesters also pelted stones at the police, prompting officers to resort to lathi-charge.
The violence continued until Wednesday evening with heavy police force deployed at several places on the campus. Mishra, who has since refused to leave the campus, claims the video of her son that has now gone viral is two years old and was being used to “tarnish her image”.
Following Tuesday’s violence, an FIR has been registered at Hasanganj police station against 18 named and 100 unidentified people on various charges including rioting, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of duty, attempt to murder, endangering life or personal safety of others. Among those named in the FIR include Mishra, her father Prabhat and an ABVP leader Anurag Tiwari.
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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