The Maharashtra assembly todaysuspended five MLAs involved in yesterday's assault on apolice officer inside Vidhan Bhavan premises for the restof the year and now they face the prospect of being arrested.
Showing no leniency towards its own members for theirviolent conduct, the House today passed by voice vote aresolution moved by Parliamentary Affairs MinisterHarshvardhan Patil to place the MLAs under suspension.
Those suspended for their involvement in the unsavouryincident are: Ram Kadam (MNS), Jaykumar Rawal (BJP), KshitijThakur (Bahujan Vikas Agadhi), Rajan Salvi (Shiv Sena) andPradeep Jaiswal (Independent).
Making the announcement in the House, Patil said theMlas' action was "serious and lowered the dignity of theaugust house".
During the course of their suspension till December31, 2013 the MLAs would not only be barred from participatingin the proceedings but will also not be allowed to enter thelegislature premises in Mumbai and Nagpur.
Sachin Suryavanshi, an Assistant Police Inspectorattached to the Worli police station, was beaten black andblue by a group of MLAs outside the visitors gallery at VidhanBhavan, state's legislature complex.
Suryavanshi had stopped the vehicle of Kshitij Thakur,a Bahujan Vikas Agadhi MLA, on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link onMonday when the latter was on way to attend the Assemblysession and slapped a fine for speeding.
The MLAs had claimed that Suryavanshi "provoked" themwith his gestures while seated in the visitors gallery afterthe House was adjourned amid din over the officer's allegedmisbehaviour with Thakur.
Suryavanshi, according to sources in state HomeMinister R R Patil's office, had denied he was present in thevisitors' gallery.
Meanwhile, sources in the crime branch, which isprobing the incident, has said some CCTV footage they havegone through clearly showed the MLAs thrashing Suryavanshi.
"The MLAs are likely to be arrested soon as there issubstantial progress in the case," said a police officer oncondition of anonymity.
However, Joint Police Commissioner (Crime) HimanshuRoy said the probe was on and it would not be appropriate totalk much at this stage.
"We have collected two CCTV clips and examined them.
The footages of some more CCTVs are awaited," he added.
An FIR was registered with Marine Drive policestation against MLAs Kshitij Thakur, Ram Kadam and around 14others last night for the alleged assault on Suryavanshi.
The accused have been booked under IPC sections 143(unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 353 (assault orcriminal force to deter public servant from discharge of hisduty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breachof peace), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and506 (ii) (criminal intimidation).
