Bhopal (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Tuesday demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi over Karnataka Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi's remarks claiming the word 'Hindu' is Persian and has a very dirty meaning.

Mishra said he will write a letter in this regard to senior Congress leader Gandhi.

During an event in Nippani on Sunday, Karnataka Congress Working President Jarkiholi said, "They speak about Hindu Dharm...this that, where did the Hindu word come from? Is it ours? It is Persian. Persian is from Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. What is Bharat's relationship with it? Then, how did Hindu become yours? There should be a debate on this."

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) later termed it as deeply unfortunate and rejected it "unequivocally".

Reacting to Jarkiholi's statement, MP Home Minister Mishra while talking to reporters here said Rahul Gandhi had tried to define 'Hindu' and 'Hindutva' during a rally in Rajasthan and now Congress leaders were making controversial comments during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Rahul Gandhi should apologise for the derogatory remarks made by Jarkiholi on the word 'Hindu. I will write a letter to him to clarify what Congress thinks about 'Hindu' and 'Hindutva', said Mishra, who is also the MP government's spokesperson.

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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.