Midnight Crackdown! Suspended Congress MLAs Ousted from Odisha Assembly
12 Suspended Congress MLAs Ousted from Odisha Assembly in Dramatic Eviction
Early this morning, 12 suspended Congress MLAs were forcibly removed from the Odisha Assembly in a midnight operation following a day of intense protests.
The MLAs had been suspended earlier that day by Speaker Surama Padhy for seven days due to "indiscipline" after they disrupted proceedings, demanding the formation of a House Committee to investigate rising crimes against women during the BJP's eight-month tenure in the state.
Refusing to leave the Assembly after their suspension, the legislators staged an overnight sit-in in the Well of the House, alleging they were denied food, water, and toilet access during their protest.
The eviction took place around 2 a.m. on March 26, with security personnel removing the MLAs, who claimed they were manhandled in the process. Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam reported sustaining a finger injury when a security officer slammed a door on his hand.
The MLAs were subsequently dropped off near Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, where they spent the remainder of the night on the street. Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, one of the two party MLAs not suspended, described the eviction as "grossly illegal and undemocratic."
The incident sparked further protests on March 26, with Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das and AICC in-charge Ajay Kumar Lallu joining a dharna at Master Canteen square to condemn the suspensions and the eviction.
The situation escalated outside the Assembly as well, with police preventing senior Congress leaders from entering the premises on Tuesday night, leading to their preventive arrest and release at a reserve ground. The Congress has vowed to continue its agitation, both inside and outside the Assembly, to press for an investigation into women’s safety issues in Odisha.
