Chikkaballapur Dalit couple allegedly refused Temple hall for wedding: Notice issued to Trust
Chikkaballapur: Activists of Dalit organizations have complained to the tahsildar against the manager of a temple under the Muzrai Department here for refusing to rent the temple hall for the wedding of a couple belonging to Scheduled Caste.
The activists have urged the tahsildar to take action against the manager of Sri Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy Temple near Santhe Maidan in town.
The tahsildar, in response has issued a show cause notice to the manager of the Temple Development Trust, said sources.
The wedding of Mahesh of Bagepalli taluk and Venkatalakshmi, daughter of Venkatarayappa of Brahmanarahalli in Chikkaballapur taluk and belonging to Scheduled Caste, was reportedly fixed for Thursday, November 3. A fortnight before the wedding, the bride’s brothers met Machavalahalli Venkatarayappa, secretary of the Temple Trust, requesting the secretary to rent the wedding hall of the Temple for Venkatalakshmi’s wedding. The secretary said that the hall had been rented out for another function on the same date. On checking, however, no event was found organized on Thursday at the hall.
The wedding troupe, therefore, reached the Temple on Thursday to carry out the ceremony in the front yard, but found the wedding hall as well as the Temple locked, the sources added.
A complaint was filed with the tahsildar, accusing the Temple Trust of rejecting a request for the hall on rent as the would-be couple belonged to Scheduled Caste although the hall was free on the day, and although the Temple was under the Muzrai Department.
Machavalahalli Venkatarayappa has reportedly been sent a show cause notice from the tahsildar’s office. He has been asked to clarify in writing within three days since the Temple belonged to the Muzrai Department but the action of the Trust was objectionable. The manager has also been warned that legal action would be taken if he failed to explain the Trust action.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
