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Calcutta University assault: JNU teachers condemn Bengal government
Kolkata: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) on Tuesday condemned the West Bengal government for “perpetrating violence” on peacefully agitating teachers of the state.
JNUTA’s reaction came in the wake of the recent assault on Calcutta University faculty members allegedly by supporters of Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress students wing.
JNUTA also expressed solidarity with the protesting teachers of the state.
“The JNUTA strongly condemns the state government for perpetrating violence on all democratic and peacefully demonstrating teachers and conveys its solidarity and support with agitating teachers of Bengal,” Bhaswati Sarkar, general secretary, JNUTA, said in a statement.
The Delhi-based university’s teachers association expressed shock “at the dastardly attack on Calcutta University teachers and non-teaching employees who were conducting a peaceful dharna in Calcutta University on July 1.”
The association also demanded strong action against the culprits.
“This is not an isolated incidence, in the recent past the state of West Bengal has witnessed similar violence in Aliah and Jadavpur universities. JNUTA strongly condemns such acts and demands immediate action against the culprits,” Sarkar said.
“The JNUTA reiterates that the right to peaceful demonstration and dissent is a non-negotiable constitutional guarantee and it is the responsibility of the state government to protect the demonstrating employees.
“The universities provide spaces for constructive debate and discussion which helps build a democratic culture in society,” Sarkar said.
West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi on Saturday urged the stakeholders to resolve the issue through dialogue.
Calcutta University Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das has threatened to quit if no action was taken in the case of the assault on varsity teachers.
Das, who along with a section of teaching and non-teaching staff was assaulted last week, allegedly by members of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP).
The vice chancellor, who had initially denied the assault, submitted a confidential report to Education Minister Partha Chatterjee giving a detailed account of the “assault, the assaulters and who led the assault”.
The issue has also created a political furore.
While the opposition Left Front suggested Chatterjee step down as the education minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought Tripathi’s intervention against the Trinamool’s bid to “spread hegemony to create anarchy in the entire education system”.
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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