Raipur (PTI): Several Congress members were detained after they took out a foot march to the residence of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai here while alleging that Union minister Amit Shah had insulted Dr BR Ambedkar, police said on Tuesday.

Members of the opposition Congress and its youth wing started the protest march from Raipur's Gandhi Maidan on Monday afternoon.

While they were heading towards the CM's residence, several protesters were detained and later let off in the evening, a police official said.

The opposition party members also tried to 'gherao' the residence of CM Sai to register their protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on BR Ambedkar in Parliament recently.

Heavy police security was deployed near the CM's house to stop the agitating Congress workers. Police also used a water cannon to disperse the protesters, a party functionary said.

Speaking to reporters, Indian Youth Congress National President Uday Bhanu Chib, who led the protest, said, "The way Amit Shah made fun of Babasaheb Ambedkar in Parliament, we demand that he should resign. He should apologise to the people of the whole country.''

Chhattisgarh Congress chief Deepak Baij and state Youth Congress head Akash Sharma also participated in the foot march.

The Congress leaders also raised the issues pertaining to law and order, sale of narcotics, drugs, high power tariff and unemployment in the state.

Earlier, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Baij addressed a gathering of party workers in front of the Raipur Municipal Corporation.

Baij expressed concern over the law and order situation in the state while referring to an incident of firing at a man outside the Central Jail in Raipur last month.

Further targeting the BJP government, Baij claimed women were not safe in the state.

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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.