Feature
Rampal brought to Panchkula, medically examined
Chandigarh, Nov 20 (IANS) Following his arrest from the Satlok Ashram in Barwala, Haryana (late Wednesday), self-styled godman Rampal was brought to Panchkula town, adjoining Chandigarh early Thursday and was medically examined.
Police sources said that Rampal would be produced before the Punjab and Haryana high court later Thursday.
The high court had issued fresh non-bailable warrants against him.
Rampal, who has been avoiding appearing before the high court on medical grounds, was seen walking out of the ambulance, which brought him from the Barwala Ashram, over 210 km from here, on his own.
He was brought to Panchkula under heavy police protection.
“We have examined him and his condition, including his blood pressure, is stable,” B.K. Bansal, a doctor at Panchkula’s Sector 6 General Hospital, told media.
Haryana Police finally arrested the elusive self-styled godman Rampal Wednesday evening from his fortified Satlok Ashram near Barwala.
At least six people lost their lives in the stand-off as Rampal eluded the police, while many of his key aides and around 450 supporters were also arrested.
After his arrest, Rampal was whisked away in an ambulance by the police from the ashram.
The deaths of five women and an infant occurred during a stand-off and violent clashes between the controversial sect leader’s followers and the security forces.
Senior police officers, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Haryana Police personnel entered the ashram complex Wednesday evening and Rampal was arrested around 9.15 p.m.
Rampal has been slapped with fresh cases of sedition, attempt to murder, rioting and illegal detention.
Nearly 14,000 sect followers came out of the ashram Wednesday even as Rampal continued to evade arrest.
Supporters of Rampal Tuesday clashed with security forces to prevent them from entering the ashram premises.
The area around the ashram resembled a battlefield as sect supporters resisted police action.
Sect followers fired at police, lobbed petrol bombs and acid pouches, besides hurling stones and bricks outside the ashram, clearly indicating that the sect was well prepared to resist the security forces.
The sect leader has been avoiding arrest and failed to appear before the Punjab and Haryana high court although non-bailable warrants were issued against him Nov 5.
Rampal’s supporters had indulged in vandalism in a court in Hisar in July when he was going there in connection with a 2006 murder case.
The high court took suo motu notice of the incident and had summoned Rampal.
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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