From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI:Assam’s principal Opposition All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) staged a walk-out from the state Assembly on Tuesday, protesting Speaker Pranab Gogoi’s refusal to admit an adjournment motion to discuss June 22 crowd violence in Dispur during a rally of landless people organised by Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS).
Separate notices for an adjournment motion to discuss the incident were given by AIUDF’s legislator Sirajuddin Ajmal and 14 others ; Asom Gana Parishad’s (AGP) Phani Bhusan Choudhury and eight others.
Three persons, including a nine-year-old boy, were killed and several civilians as well as policemen were injured when police lobbed tear gas shells and resorted to firing to control a massive crowd gathered at Dispur on June 22 to protest an eviction drive in the hill areas of the city.
Two-time former chief minister and AGP MLA Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, speaking on the admissibility of the adjournment motion, pointed that the matter related to the interests of the indigenous people and the state is likely to witness more agitations on various issues.
He slammed the state police for using lethal weapons to control and disperse the crowd, going against Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s directive for restrained crowd control measures.
“The issue for the adjournment motion meets the three priority criterions for admitting such a motion – it is definite (relating to a single incident), urgent and of public interest,” Mahanta added.
Ataur Rahman Mazhar Bhuyan of the AIUDF cited previous instances when people had died in police firing in the state and said a discussion was necessary to prevent its recurrence.
“The government has failed to maintain law and order and it has intentionally used force to suppress a democratic agitation,” Bhuyan added, referring to June 22 incident.
Parliamentary Affairs minister Nilamani Sen Deka, countering the Oppositions’ claims, said the state government has already initiated an enquiry into the incident and also filed 18 police cases and arrested three persons.
Mentioning of the damage of public and private property allegedly by the agitators, he claimed that police had to use force after the crowd turned violent.
“As regards to crowd control measures, the Opposition can raise these issues during discussion on police grants in the annual Budget,” Deka added.
Speaker Gogoi, rejecting the demand for the adjournment motion, said that a law and order situation had emerged that day at Dispur.
“Whether the use of force by the police was more than required is being enquired into. There is no scope for an adjournment motion in the matter,” the Speaker ruled, prompting the AIUDF legislators to walk-out of the House in protest.