Bihar Speaker calls for strong action against policemen for unruly behaviour with legislators

This comes in the light of allegations of indecent behaviour by police personnel with Vidhan Sabha members on March 23 during the Budget session.

Bihar Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha on Thursday held a high-level review meeting with Patna divisional commissioner Sanjay Kumar Agarwal and IG (Patna) Sanjay Kumar Singh in the light of allegations of indecent behaviour by police personnel with Vidhan Sabha members on March 23 during the Budget session over the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021.

File photo: Bihar Assembly speaker Vijay Sinha. (Santosh Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

The Speaker said that police had to be deployed that day along with marshals due to a significant shortage of Vidhan Sabha security personnel.

“Nobody can be given the right to cross the ‘Lakshman Rekha (line)’ of decency and decorum – be it a member or any police official. Decent behaviour with the members is expected in all circumstances. There can be no compromise with the honour of the members. The dignity of the House is supreme,” the Speaker said, asking the officials to examine the footage to identify the guilty.

Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021 was passed on March 23 by the Bihar Assembly. As per reports, police were deployed inside the House without any debate to evict the protesting members amid unprecedented scenes. The assembly witnessed over half a dozen adjournments and ransacking of tables and chairs by an angry Opposition. Many of the members had to be forcibly evicted by the police.

During the meeting, the CCTV footage of the Vidhan Sabha and the footage made available by leader of opposition and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav was examined. The Speaker directed Vidhan Sabha in-charge secretary Bhudev Rai to make all possible footage connected with that day’s turn of events available to the two officers.

Tejashwi also wrote to the Speaker on April 3, demanding the sacking of the guilty police officials who, he said, “brutally assaulted the members at the behest of the state government while discharging their democratic right”.

Yadav asked the officials to ensure strong actions against the policemen responsible for unruly behaviour against the members after identifying them through an examination of audio-video footage of the House’s proceedings and circumstantial evidence.

Barely two days after the unsavoury incident, Sinha asked additional chief secretary (home) Chaitanya Prasad and DGP SK Singhal to identify the police officials who resorted to indecent behaviour with the legislators. Sinha has also asked for a report in this regard and called for the video footage of that day for a thorough review by the ethics committee.