RS adjourns over Afzal issue

The Shiv Sena-BJP combine raise the issue on the fifth anniv of the attack on Parliament leading to frayed tempers.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for a brief period during Zero Hour on Wednesday amidst uproarious scenes over the BJP-Shiv Sena demand for immediate hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammed Afzal.

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The Shiv Sena-BJP combine raised the issue on the fifth anniversary of the attack on Parliament leading to frayed tempers, after which the House was adjourned at 1235 hours till 1400 hours.

The unrelenting opposition members trooped into the well repeatedly shouting slogans "Afzal ko fansi do (hang Afzal) and Sansad par hamla nahin chalega (attack on Parliament will not be tolerated)" which was countered by Congress, RJD and Left members.

The uproar reached a high decibel when Home Minister Shivraj Patil cited cases like Rajiv Gandhi assassination where clemency petitions were kept pending for years.

His statement that in the last ten years mercy petitions have taken six to seven years before a decision could be taken angered opposition benches which demanded Afzal's immediate hanging.

Patil's assertion that law will take its course in the Afzal case did not pacify agitated opposition members who kept shouting slogans at the top of their voice.