Feature
Former model molested by husband, forced to convert into Islam
Mumbai: A former model has alleged that her husband put pressure on her to convert to Islam and when she resisted he physically assaulted her and asked her to leave the house.
Police said it was investigating the angle of ‘love jihad’ and a case was registered against her husband and his friend, whom she alleged had molested her.
The 42-year-old woman, at a press conference in suburban Bandra yesterday, showed injury marks, which she claimed, were inflicted by her husband when she refused to change her religion.
A video in which she was crying and levelling allegations against her husband also went viral on the social media. It also contained the statement given to the police.
“My husband recently married a Hindu girl who is half his age. He is now trying to evict me from our home. I’m a Hindu by birth and did not give into his pressure to convert to Islam,” the victim is heard saying in the video.
The victim claimed she married the accused 12 years ago.
“At that time my husband told me there was no need to convert to Islam. But, he started building pressure so that I follow Islam, especially after I gave birth to a child,” she alleged.
She claimed that her husband said if she did not change her religion, she would cease to be his wife. “My husband brainwashed my son and is not allowing me to even touch him. I want my child,” she claimed.
The former model alleged her husband threatened to kill her if she sought the help of the police and added that “they speak about love jihad all the time”.
Former model claims husband forced her to convert to Islam:
She alleged that on November 17 her husband asked her to leave the house. When she asked the reason, he said “such things” would happen if she did not embrace Islam.
The woman, in a statement to the police, also claimed a friend of her husband molested her.
When contacted, a senior police official said the angle of ‘love jihad’ was being investigated.
“The victim was assaulted by her husband and his friend.
We have registered an offence of assault and molestation,” he said.
“We are also investigating the ‘love jihad’ angle. It is part of our investigation,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Bandra Division) Sanjay Kadam told media persons.
‘Love jihad’ is a term coined by some Hindu groups for alleged efforts to get non-Muslim girls to convert to Islam through love affairs.
Following her complaint, a case under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code was lodged against her husband and his friend, police said.
A comment from her husband was not immediately available.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
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.