Feature
Missionary school principal tries to rape woman staffer inside campus
Nalbari: In a shocking incident, a principal of a missionary school here was arrested for allegedly trying to rape a staffer in the campus today, police said.
According to officer-in-Charge of Belsor Police Station Dipul Boro said the victim lodged an FIR and a case was registered against the principal at Panigaon village in the district.
Principal of missionary school attempts rape on woman staffer in campus:
The woman who worked as a cook in the school, in her complaint alleged that the principal entered her room in the school premises this morning and tried to rape her. She managed to escape and informed the nearby villagers about the incident, Boro said.
The villagers gheraoed the school campus and demanded his arrest, he said, adding police rushed to the spot and arrested him.
Five-year-old girl raped and killed by her 20-year-old cousin:
In another shameful incident, a five-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed by her 20-year-old cousin in Katangi town, around 40 kms from Jabalpur district headquarter, the police said today in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur district.
The accused, identified as Anand Kushwaha, had dumped the body of the minor in an under-construction septic tank near his house in the town, according to police.
The incident came to light after the minor girl’s father approached the police this morning with a complaint that his daughter had been missing since last evening, said Katangi Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Bhavana Maravi.
During investigation, police came to know that the girl was last seen with Kushwaha, who lives near the house of the girl, the officer said.
Maravi said the police spotted blood stains on the bed in the house of Kushwaha during search.
“During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime. However, he tried to mislead the police by saying that he had thrown the girl’s body in the Hirni river outside the village. He later said that he had dumped the body in the under-construction septic tank,” Maravi said.
The officer said Kushwaha took the girl to his house at around 5 PM yesterday, when his family members were away.
Since he is the son of the paternal uncle of the girl, nobody in her family objected him.
“After taking her home, Kushwaha allegedly raped her and throttled her when she started screaming,” she said.
Kushwaha has been arrested under various sections of the IPC including murder and rape besides under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
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.