The Hindu : New Delhi News : Assembly adjourned over thrashing of MLA

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Saturday, Mar 29, 2008
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New Delhi

Assembly adjourned over thrashing of MLA

Staff Reporter

Congress MLAs embarrass the Govt. by staging a walk-out; Police Commissioner to submit report on Monday

MLA Surender Kumar was allegedly beaten up by Councillor Narayan Singh during a function
Agitating MLAs were demanding Chief Minister’s statement over the action taken by the police

NEW DELHI: The ruling Congress suffered an embarrassment in the Delhi Assembly on Friday when its own members staged a walkout over alleged beating up of MLA Surender Kumar by independent Municipal Councillor Narayan Singh during the inauguration of a road in the first week of March leading to an adjournment of the House.

At the end of Question Hour, MLA Mukesh Sharma drew the attention of the House to the Surender Kumar issue saying the Chief Minister was supposed to inform the House about the action taken by the police in this connection. Soon Surender Kumar, Bheesham Sharma and some other MLAs joined the issue and requested Deputy Speaker Shoaib Iqbal, who was in the Chair, to get the Chief Minister to make a statement.

Two cases registered

Subsequently the Deputy Speaker read out a statement on behalf of the Chief Minister that said the police had registered two cases, one on the complaint of Surender Kumar and the other on Narayan Singh’s complaint.

The MLAs, including Mukesh Sharma, Bheesham Sharma, Brahmpal, S.C. Vats (of Congress) and Nationalist Congress Party’s Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, vociferously pointed out that everybody was aware of the FIRs being registered but what the House wanted to know was the action taken by the police.

The Chair tried to pacify the agitated members saying that the House agreed with their sentiments but everything had to be done within the parameters of law. The members, however, refused to calm down. Mr. Mukesh Sharma demanded that the House ask the Delhi Police Commissioner to furnish the action taken report on Monday.

Not satisfied with the Deputy Speaker’s assurance about handing over the inquiry to the Crime Branch, the members staged a walk-out. Subsequently the House was adjourned till tea break as there were not enough members.

Post tea-break, the Deputy Speaker told the House that the Chief Minister had had a word with the Police Commissioner and he would on Monday submit a report on the investigations so far in the case.

Earlier, the Question Hour began nearly 10 minutes after the scheduled time for lack of quorum. As the session progressed, BJP MLA Ramesh Bidhuri, who had not been suspended on Thursday, again raised the issue of “objectionable references” about Ramayana characters in an essay prescribed by Delhi University.

When he refused to clam down, the Deputy Speaker suspended him from the House. Subsequently Susheel Chaudhary of the BJP was also suspended for the same reason.

On Thursday the Opposition BJP members had been suspended for three days when they did not allow the House to function over the “objectionable references” and then sat on dharna outside the Chief Minister’s office protesting against the issue.

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