Suspended Congress leaders continue protest outside Odisha Assembly

The development comes a day after the 12 MLAs were suspended from the House by Speaker Surama Padhy for a week over unruly behaviourSuspended Congress leaders continue protest outside Odisha Assembly

Suspended Congress lawmakers along with other party leaders were involved in a physical altercation with police outside the Odisha legislative assembly on Wednesday morning as they tried to enter the House.

Outside the assembly, the Congress legislators continued their agitation and spent the entire night on the street at Lower PMG. (HT photo)

The development comes a day after the 12 MLAs were suspended from the House by Speaker Surama Padhy for a week over unruly behaviour.

On Tuesday, 12 of the 14 Congress MLAs created pandemonium in the assembly protesting the lack of safety for women.

The 12 MLAs who then continued to protest till late Tuesday night, were evicted by the assembly security officials. The police later imposed section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) around the assembly premises.

Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023, gives magistrates the power to issue orders in urgent cases of nuisance or danger. The orders can be issued to prevent obstruction, annoyance, injury, or public disturbances.

When the House reconvened on Wednesday morning, the 12 suspended MLAs along with other Congress leaders tried to break into the assembly leading to a scuffle.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLAs were also involved in the scuffle with security officials as they tried to stage a protest near the Ambedkar statue demanding reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs and educational institutions.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam alleged that the party MLAs during their stay in the assembly were denied food, water and even toilet facilities.

Kadam said that he was injured in the assembly on Tuesday night after a security personnel slammed a door on his hand due to which he sustained an injury to his finger.

“We were manhandled and forcibly evicted from the assembly in the dead of night. This is grossly illegal and undemocratic,” said Kadam.

Suspended Congress MLA Sofia Firdous said that they will continue to protest inside and outside the assembly.

“Let this be clear — suspension and intimidation cannot stop us. We will continue our fight, inside and outside the Assembly, until every woman in Odisha feels safe and justice is served”, she said.

Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das alleged that he was prevented from entering the Assembly to meet the suspended MLAs and picked up by the police.

“Five of us who wanted to meet our MLAs are all former ministers and entitled to enter the assembly. But the manner in which the government used force against us is utterly pathetic,” Das said.

Das and AICC in-charge of Odisha, Ajay Kumar Lallu, is currently sitting on a dharna in the master canteen area protesting the suspension of 12 party MLAs.

Outside the assembly, the Congress legislators continued their agitation and spent the entire night on the street at Lower PMG.