TURA: Several dozen salesmen operating the numerous teer betting counters in Tura town have lodged a complaint with the West Garo Hills deputy commissioner accusing a group of student and social organizations of collecting illegal tax daily from their counters and sought an end to this menace.
Teer is a game where players bet on numbers and a successful strike gives monetary benefits to the player. Several thousand people bet on teer every day in Tura and many other towns of Garo Hills making it one of the most lucrative trades.
However, a large number of these teer counters have been operating without any government license depending on patronage from certain groups and lobbies which has further fueled the conflict.
Over sixty teer counter operators from Tura have jointly signed a petition to the deputy commissioner accusing an ‘illegal’ archery association and leaders of the GSU-Tengsak faction, Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE), A’chik Youth Welfare Organization and the FKJGP of extorting money from the counters every working day.
The illegal archery association and NGOs are collecting Rs 350 from each counter everyday and also an additional two thousand rupees at the end of the month for its ‘taxation’ department, alleged the teer operators in their complaint to the deputy commissioner.
The tax is reportedly being collected to ensure a smooth running of the teer counters that do not have the required license to operate.
The teer operators have apprised the authorities about regular threats being faced by them from these organisations and the archery association who are forcibly directing them to attend its meetings at the Thakurbari office of the group.
They also blame sitting Gambegre MLA Saleng A Sangma for giving false promises to renew the teer licenses which had been previously cancelled.
Meanwhile, former ANVC-B chairman Bernard Marak filed a police FIR accusing the student leaders of perpetrating violence against his employee who was operating a local kind of teer counter called “Bawil Dawil” in Tura bazaar.
In his police complaint, Bernard has named GSU president Tengsak Momin, ADE president Dalseng Bira Momin, AYWO president Sengbath Ch Marak and Nerush Sangma of assaulting his employee Lasbath Shira in the heart of Tura market, last week.
He also accused the student leaders of extorting money at the rate of Rs 350 per day from each of his “Bawil Dawil” counters and another two thousand rupees at the end of each month.
Interestingly, while the GSU and other organization leaders stand accused of extortion, another section of teer counter operators, on condition of anonymity, also accuse the former ANVC-B chairman of indulging in the same practise.
They allege that demands for illegal tax from the counters by the former outfit’s chairman is what led to the assault of his henchman who was doing the rounds of collection on that fateful day in the market.