Bhubaneswar, March 26 (IANS) Chaos unfolded both inside and outside the Odisha Assembly following the suspension of 12 Congress legislators by Speaker Surama Padhy on Tuesday for unruly behaviour in the House.
The suspended members continued their protest near the dias of the Speaker refusing to leave the House after the suspension.
Amid the pandemonium, the House was adjourned multiple times throughout the day.
The Assembly Speaker finally adjourned the House till Wednesday.
However, the Congress legislators did not leave the house and continued to stage protests inside it.
“We will not leave the House and sleep here tonight. We will again hold a protest tomorrow. We are raising the issue related to women atrocities in the state. Our protest will continue,” said Congress MLA Prafulla Pradhan, who also faced suspension.
Meanwhile, many Congress workers reached outside the Assembly building on Tuesday evening.
They were engaged in a scuffle with the police personnel who stopped them entering the Assembly.
The Congress workers claimed that some of their party legislators inside the House have sustained injuries during scuffle with the Marshals.
Later, a heated argument ensued outside the Assembly between senior police officials and some Congress leaders, including Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das when they were stopped from entering the Assembly.
The Congress members have been holding protests in the House by beating gongs and playing other traditional musical instruments since the last few days leading to massive disruptions in the House.
The Congress has been creating ruckus in the House, demanding the Constitution of the House Committee over cases of atrocities against women.
The Congress also alleged that incidents of crime against women have registered a significant increase under the BJP government’s tenure during the last nine months.
Deputy Assembly Speaker, Bhabani Shankar Bhoi, on Monday, warned the Congress and desist from creating a din in the House.
However, the Congress leaders continued their protest with musical instruments on Tuesday as well, leading to their suspension.
–IANS
int/khz
