Feature
Police evict Jallikattu protesters in Tamil Nadu
Chennai: Nearly a week after watching on the sidelines the Jallikattu protest on the Marina Beach and in other places in the state, the Tamil Nadu Police on Monday morning started evicting the protesters. Jallikattu is a popular bull-taming sport of Tamil Nadu. The police action came on the day when the state assembly was set to meet here. The police physically pulled out the protesters who were sitting at the protest venue. The scene reminded of a ‘tug-of-war’ game but without ropes as protesters held back the colleagues who were being pulled out by the police.
In Coimbatore, police-women and -men pounced on a protestor who stood up with a kerosene canister and threatened to self-immolate. They were successful in taking away the inflammable liquid. The eviction comes a day after the state government organised Jallikattu in several places following the promulgation of an ordinance enabling the same. Not satisfied with that, the protesters demanded a “permanent” solution, that is, amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act by the central government taking out bulls from the list of performing animals.
The police arrived at the Marina Beach on Sunday night. On Monday morning they urged the protesters to vacate Marina which was not heeded to. Following that the police started their eviction process by physically lifting the protesters. The police also baton charged the crowd. However, women and children were spared and removed safely. The protesters ran towards the sea, stood there holding hands and shouted slogans. The routes to Marina Beach have now been cordoned off.
The police has asked the protesters in other parts of the state to disperse. Agreeing to the request protesters in Tirunelveli district have decided to call off the protests. In Madurai, however, the protesters have decided to continue with their agitations. Although, talks are still on between them and the police. After the promulgation of the ordinance P. Rajasekhar, president of the Jallikattu Pathukaapu Peravai appealed to the protesters to call off their agitation. ‘Hip-Hop Tamizha’ Adhi a rap musician whose song support of Jallikattu attracted the protesters also distanced himself from the protest as it was progressing in a different direction, he said.
While the protesters anger is severe against the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) across the state, in most of the protest venues there were slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. Some of the placards held by few protesters were vulgar and indecent and there were also placards demanding separate Tamil land. Further, thousands of regular commuters have been facing inconvenience due to cancellation of trains and termination ahead of destination owing to protests on rail tracks. On Monday the Southern Railways announced full cancellation of 16 trains and partial cancellation of seven trains. “Around 40,000 passengers are affected daily due to disruption in train services. Many passengers may be travelling to attend interviews, join duty or even for health reasons,” a senior Southern Railway official preferring anonymity said.
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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