Odisha: Congress workers continue protests after Speaker suspends 12 MLAs

Odisha Congress workers continued their sit-in protest outside the party office on Wednesday, protesting against the suspension of 12 party MLAs from the Legislative Assembly.

The party leaders have alleged that they were beaten up while being removed from the Assembly premises.

The suspended Congress MLAs had spent the night in the Odisha Assembly on March 25, demanding the formation of a House Committee on alleged atrocities against women. However, after some time, officials removed the protesters from the Assembly premises, prompting the sit-in protest to continue outside the state Congress office.

Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati alleged that he was beaten up by officials while being removed from the premises.

"A House Committee should be formed. They are afraid to make it because the truth will come out. When I was there, they hit me and others too. I haven't seen anything like this in my life. I have not seen police entering the House and assaulting us. We have been suspended for seven days. Yesterday, 12 MLAs were suspended," Bahinipati told ANI at the protest site.

On Tuesday night, party MLA Sagar Charan Das said they were protesting peacefully and raising the issue of women's safety. He added that they are people's representatives and that the issue is not a joke.

Das further alleged that the police assaulted two MLAs and stated that they would continue the protest.

Ramchandra Kadam, Odisha Congress legislative party chief and one of the suspended MLAs, accused the BJP-led government of ignoring demands to investigate the alleged rape cases in the state.

"We were demanding to form a House Committee for the protection of our women, our mothers, and daughters, but the government is not listening. It has been 14 days. The many rapes and assaults in Odisha happening every day, especially against minors, are shameful. That is why we are demanding a House Committee. In the last nine months, around 1,700–1,800 cases of assault have happened against women and students, and the number is only increasing," Kadam told ANI.

Earlier on March 25, Kadam had raised serious concerns about the increasing atrocities against women. He emphasized that it is the government's responsibility to decide how the House will function but stressed that Congress is actively bringing attention to issues affecting women.

Odisha Speaker Surama Padhy suspended 12 of the 14 Congress MLAs for seven days for "indiscipline, disrespecting the Chair, and violating rules."