Feature
Photo of Muhammad Ali Jinnah at Faizabad jail sparks controversy
Lucknow: A photo of Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah during an event in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad jail has sparked a row, with the BJP and right-wing groups demanding strict action against the organisers.
On Wednesday, a function was organised inside the jail premises to mark the martyrdom day of freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan. During the event, the photo of Jinnah was put up along with that of several other notable personalities like Bahadur Shah Zafar, Tipu Sultan and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, among others.
The incident created a storm with ruling BJP and right-wing groups like VHP demanding strong action against those who organised the programme.
“The organisers by putting up Jinnah’s photo has made great the occasion of Ashfaqulla Khan’s martyrdom day a disputed programme. By doing this they just want to come into limelight, but this is not accepted, we will take action against them,” local BJP MLA Ved Gupta said.
VHP spokesperson Sharad Sharma said, “The organisers have committed a great crime by displaying the photo of a separatist and a divisive person and for this act, chief minister Yogi Adityanath must take action against the organisers and jail administration.”
The programme was organised by ‘Ashfaqulla Khan Memorial Shaheed Shodh Sansthan’, a social organisation run by senior Communist leader Surya Kant Pandey.
Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah photo at Faizabad jail sparks row:
The organisers said Jinnah had a great role in the freedom struggle and he is a part of India’s ‘saajha sanskriti’ and ‘saajhi virasat’ (shared culture and heritage).
“The history of India’s freedom struggle is incomplete without Jinnah, he had great role in the freedom movement and we must give credit to Jinnah for his contribution in the battle of Independence,” Pandey said.
Former Uttar Pradesh governor Aziz Qureshi was the chief guest in the programme.
Poet and professor of literature Anil Singh, who was present in the event, said it was very necessary for everyone to know the history. “Jinnah was the person who fought the case of martyr Bhagat Singh and many other revolutionary freedom fighters and he did not charged any fees. His contribution is same in freedom struggle as of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and other great leaders. So putting up of Jinnah’s photo is the tribute we pay to him.”
When leading news agency contacted DIG Faizabad Jail, Umesh Shrivastava, for his comments on the controversy, he said, “I am not aware what happened as I was away. So I will inquire about it.
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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