Feature
Lucknow on streets to seek justice for Naman Verma
Thousands of people today came on streets in Lucknow to seek justice for the Young Hotel executive Naman Verma who was shot dead on 18th November in Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow. Police which initially tried to hush up the case as road accident and was subsequently exposed by the post mortem report has not been able to get any clue about the murderers. Complete police failure made people gather on streets in large number as they voiced slogan of “We Want Justice” and demanding the proper investigation in the case.
Small children, college students, friends, family members who came together and raised in one voice demanding Justice for educated young, humble, fun loving Naman.
With tears in eyes, friends and family of Naman were hoping that the police would somehow do justice to them and grab the murderers of Naman as soon as possible.
This candle march has now given a clear indication to police and administration that Naman’s friend and family are not alone in this fight for justice but the entire young generation is there to support him.
Commoners joined the candle march en route to support Naman and displayed the hurt they feel by the brutal act and police inaction. Soft spoken Naman was never involved even in petty arguments.
Candle March started from Sarojini Park Hazratganj and went till GPO and the number of people were mounting every second to seek justice for Naman. People raised voice in one note, “Naman Verma ko Insaf do”, “We want justice for Naman”.
This candle march was carried out in a protest against Police who has been lethargic in investigating the case from day one. Naman’s family initially faced negligence by the concerned authorities and police tried to name the whole incident as an accident case instead of murder.
Verma, a graduate of Indian Hotel Management (Pusa) Delhi and was employed at Renaissance Hotel Lucknow and was found dead on Wednesday at Vibhuti Khand flyover.
The unexpected support that the march got has mounted pressure on top brass of Lucknow Police to come up with convincing answers. The efforts of Naman’s well wishers has already garnered massive support on social media.
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.