Feature
Narrative in ‘horrific’ Hathras incident begins to change
As days roll by, the narrative in the ‘horrific’ Hathras incident has started changing and accused are now getting increasing support from BJP leaders.
The revelation of call detail records (CDR) of victim’s family that show that they had spoken 104 times in five months to the main accused, Sandeep Singh, has given a new angle the case.
Police sources said that the CDR proves that both the families were on good terms.
Call records show that 62 calls outgoing and 42 incoming calls totalling 104 — were made between the two phone numbers.
According to the police, the call records show that the victim and the main accused were in touch.
“The victim’s family has concealed this information from us all along. The matter will have to be investigated and we will be interrogating the girl’s brothers on this issue,” said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.
The girl’s brother admits that the number belongs to him but vehemently denies having spoken to any member of the accused family.
The victim’s family’s refusal to undergo a narco-test has also put them under the cloud of suspicion.
Thakur Somesh Singh, a local resident, said, “It is a case of honour killing. The government has confirmed that there was no rape. Medical reports also have found that rape did not take place. So why would some other boys strangulate her.”
Rakesh Kumar, father of accused Ram Kumar, said that at the time of the alleged incident, his son was on duty at a local milk plant where he works.
“You can check CCTV footage and also the attendance register to confirm his presence at the milk plant,” he said.
Guddu, father of the accused Sandeep said that his son was giving water to their cows when some people came and said that the girl was lying unconscious. We even gave them water and a few hours later, my son was picked up by the police,” he said.
Munni Devi, mother of another accused Luvkush, said that she was working in a nearby field when there was some commotion. “I went across and saw the girl lying unconscious. I gave her water but later my son was taken away the police,” she said.
Upper caste panchayats are now being held in several villages around the Bulghari village where the incident took place and the local Thakurs and Brahmins are unanimously demanding the release of the four accused.
The government affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court on Tuesday which rules out rape, has further strengthened the campaign in favour of the accused.
The Hathras incident took place on September 14, when the victim was working in a field and was allegedly dragged by the accused to a nearby field and assaulted. The family has alleged she was gang raped and strangulated.
She was admitted to a hospital in Aligarh with serious injuries on neck bones and spinal cord. She was later shifted to a Delhi hospital where she died on September 29 evoking outrage throughout the country.
The voices seeking justice for the victim got louder after the Uttar Pradesh Police cremated the body of the victim in the dead of the night. The family said the police did not take their consent before cremating the body.
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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