Five legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and the party’s Chief Whip Manoj Tigga, were suspended by the Speaker Monday until the next session of the Assembly after members of the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition party scuffled inside the House over the violence in Birbhum’s Bogtui village.
Speaker Biman Banerjee said, “This is an unwanted, unprecedented incident.”
Other than Adhikari and Tigga, three MLAs–Shankar Ghosh, Narahari Mahato, and Dipak Burman–were also suspended after the chaotic scenes in the Assembly. Adhikari alleged, “We were illegally suspended.”
Several members of the House were injured after they came to blows in the West Bengal legislative assembly over the violence in Birbhum’s Bogtui village. At least eight people, including women and children, were charred to death after Bhadu Sheikh, a deputy pradhan owing allegiance to the TMC, was murdered on Monday, triggering attacks in the village. The eight people died after assailants set several houses on fire. The Calcutta High Court has ordered a CBI probe into the killings in Bogtui.
After the assembly session started, BJP legislators staged a protest on the Bogtui issue and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also holds the home portfolio in the state. The BJP MLAs trooped into the Well of the House and started shouting slogans against the chief minister. Speaker Biman Banerjee repeatedly requested opposition MLAs to take their seat but they continued their protest.
After around half an hour, the MLAs of the ruling Trinamool Congress also came to the Well and were involved in an altercation with opposition members.
Adhikari alleged that their MLAs were beaten up inside the House and as a result, several leaders, including their Tigga and MLA Narahari Mahato, were injured. Even women MLAs like Chandana Bauri were attacked, claimed Adhikari.
The TMC also alleged that opposition MLAs attacked women security personnel of the Assembly and damaged official documents. Trinamool MLA Asit Majumdar broke his nose after getting involved in the clash and was taken to the SSKM Hospital.
