Srinagar:The opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday claimed that six of its legislators were injured during the pandemonium in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly over demands for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35 A.
Satish Sharma, the BJP legislator from the Billawar assembly constituency of Jammu, said that six legislators were marshalled out of the assembly after they opposed the resolution demanding the restoration of Article 370.
“Six of our legislators were injured when we were marshalled out of the House. Mohal Lal (legislator from Akhnoor constituency) has been hospitalised,” Sharma told ETV Bharat.
Sharma said Lal was rushed to Bones and Joints Hospital for the treatment of a “fracture in the fingers of his right hand”.
Speaking to the media, Lal alleged the role of the speaker was biased in the assembly. “We wanted to put our point forward in the assembly against the special status of the Jammu and Kashmir resolution. But the marshals of the assembly, on the directions of the speaker, manhandled us; we were injured,” he said.
“We can't allow such voices who speak against the country and August 5, 2019 decisions. Today, I was injured by a small wound, but I gave my life for the unity of our country,” Lal added.
The speaker of the assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather, ordered the marshalling of BJP legislators from the assembly after pandemonium and subsequent scuffle broke out over the restoration of Articles 370 and 35 A. Among the legislators marshalled out were Arvind Gupta, Vikram Randhawa, Satish Sharma, and Mohan Lal.
The scuffle broke out between the main opposition BJP legislators and other opposition legislators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a lone legislator of the Peoples Conference—Sajad Lone—and independent legislator Sheikh Khursheed.
When the House proceedings began Thursday morning, Khursheed, the younger brother of jailed MP Engineer Rashid, entered the well carrying a banner with the inscription “We demand the restoration of Articles 370 and 35A”. This infuriated the BJP legislators and they pounced on him to snatch the banner. BJP legislators Vikram Randhawa, RS Pathania, and Satish Sharma joined and tore the banner.
However, the PDP legislators Waheed ur Rehman Parra, Fayaz Mir, PC MLA Sajad Lone, and Independent MLA Shabir Kullay (from Shopian) came in support of Khursheed, which broke out into a scuffle.
The legislators from the Treasury Bench joined Para, Lone, and Sheikh, which created a ruckus, compelling the speaker to adjourn the House for 15 minutes. When the house resumed, the BJP legislators continued the ruckus, and later the speaker adjourned the house for the day.
The five-day session of the new UT assembly began on November 4 and will end on October 8.
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