Bihar Assembly Ruckus: Oppn MLAs stage protest against Bihar Special Armed Police Bill

Clashes broke out in the Bihar Assembly when the Opposition MLAs were protesting against Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, which was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday at around 3 pm. While protesting the Opposition MLAs were trying to hold Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Singa hostage inside his chamber. It is also important to mention that amid the protest, the State Legislative Assembly was adjourned multiple times. 

Several Opposition legislators, including RJD MLA Sudhakar Singh and CPM legislator Satyendra Yadav, were injured in this incident. Tejashwi Yadav had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance for treatment as he fell unconscious. Women MLAs of the Opposition were carried out of the Assembly building by women security personnel, as per sources.

Soon after the violence broke out in the Assembly, Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh and SSP Upendra Kumar Sharma reached the assembly. They were followed by marshals and a police force, who used force to remove the legislators sitting outside the Speaker’s chamber. Amid the protest, RJS MLA Satish Kumar was seen being carried on a stretcher from the Bihar Assembly after he was allegedly manhandled by the "police and local goons" inside the Assembly.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, the RJD workers had staged a protest outside the Bihar Legislative Assembly, during which the protestors turned unruly and pelted stones on police officials. After this police lathi-charged and use water cannons to disperse the crowd. RJD leaders Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav led the RJD march and were later detained. The party workers smashed the police barricade and threw stones at the police personnel. In the process, some police officers suffered injuries. 

Nitish Kumar on Bihar Assembly ruckus

Reacting to the ruckus that broke out in Bihar Assembly on Tuesday, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that he had never seen such activities in the Assembly. Hitting out at the Opposition MLAs, the Bihar Chief Minister said that they should have participated in the debate rather than holding the protest. "We would have replied to every question of them (regarding Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021)," Bihar CM added. 

Reacting to Bihar Assembly ruckus, Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha said that today's incident is condemnable. Stating that all the members of the Assembly should respect the Constitution, Sinha said that this is a serious issue. 

Tejashwi Yadav on Bihar Special Armed Police Bill

Calling the Bihar Special Armed Police Bill a "Draconian Act", Tejashwi Yadav said that this Bill will give absolute powers to the Police so that it can act as a veritable arm of Nitish Kumar's dictatorial politics. He further alleged that this new Bill has been passed in police protection by throwing out battered MLA using the Police itself. 

After uproar in the state Assembly over Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav took a jibe at CM Nitish Kumar and said that this newly introduced law means that search will be conducted without a warrant and "any policemen can arrest if he believes something is wrong". The RJD leader further alleged that the Opposition MLAs wanted to speak against the Bill, but they were assaulted. 

Yadav further said, "We wanted to speak but we were thrashed. This law means that search will be conducted without a warrant and 'any policemen can arrest if they believe something is wrong. There is no use of courts and magistrates."

(Image: PTI, Twitter | @YadavTejashwi, @RJDforIndia)