BHUBANESWAR: Speaker Surama Padhy accused the suspended Congress MLAs of assaulting and injuring the marshals and security personnel which led to their eviction from the well of the House.
Making a statement in the Assembly, Padhy said that she had asked the Assembly secretariat to take steps for the security of the Congress MLAs after she came to know about their intention to spend the night in the House. All arrangements had been made accordingly.
She said along with the Congress MLAs, their personal security officers and political workers had also entered the well. They came to the verandah of the Assembly secretariat at around 9 pm on Tuesday night and attacked the marshals and security personnel. Several security staff have been injured in the attack and being treated now, she said.
The Speaker said following the attack, around 2 am the marshals and security personnel were asked to remove the MLAs from the well of the House. Some were lifted and taken outside the entrance of the lobby while some others left on their own, she stated.
The Speaker said that the MLAs were suspended after they disrupted the proceedings for several days despite repeated requests from the chair. “Blowing of whistle, beating of gongs and cymbals and other disruptions are not expected from MLAs,” she said.
Padhy said all efforts were made to restore normalcy in the House. All-party meetings were held on March 10, March 13, March 24 and March 25. But despite the initiatives taken by the chair, the MLAs continued to disrupt the House which is very unfortunate. Around 39 hours of the ongoing sitting have been wasted, she stated.