Berhampur: With the COVID-19 situation under control and Puja festivities around in the district, people in Ganjam are indulging in unbridled gambling which is considered a part of the Puja celebrations.
In a recent development, the District police have arrested 216 gamblers and seized more than Rs 15 lakh from them in the last 15 days.
As many as 32 cases have been registered in this connection at different police stations in the district.
Berhampur Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra stated, “We cannot allow gambling in the name of tradition. Gambling also goes hand in hand with liquor consumption, which leads to law and order problems. Police officers have been instructed to crack down on the illegal activity.”
“All the SIs of the police stations in the district have been directed to keep a strict vigilance on gambling. In the name of tradition, the illegal practice will not be tolerated at any cost. Regularly we are conducting raids on the gambling dens and it will also continue in future,” stated Mishra.
There has been a sudden spurt in gambling activities during the ongoing festive season as people in many parts of the district continue to believe that Goddess Laxmi can be invoked through this illegal game.
Gambling dens come alive right from Ganesh Puja till Kumar Purnima October 13. However, this year due to COVID-19 scare the gambling ritual by the district people had not taken place during Ganesh Puja.
Notably, gambling is a ritual for people of all ages in the district, regardless of any change in fortune. Even parents ask their children to gamble during the festival and provide money to them to play the game. Womenfolk too have their own gambling sessions among friends and relatives.
During the puja children try their fortune at various games like ‘gudgudpali’ and other mini casinos. For elders, gambling consists of card games for long hours. People spend entire nights in these gambling sessions. But for most, the gambling stops after Kumar Purnima night.
PNN