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Bhubaneswar, Dec 4: The alleged detention of some students at Rama Devi Women’s University Thursday when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was speaking during the inauguration of the varsity rocked the Assembly Friday.
Congress members sought clarification from the Chief Minister on the issue in the House and vociferously criticised the government for the incident. The resultant din led to the Assembly being adjourned thrice during the day and as a result running only for a total of 29 minutes.
Congress chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati raised the issue as soon as the House assembled for Question Hour. Bahinipati displayed newspaper clippings and said that several girls of the varsity in the capital city were locked up in a room by police officials who anticipated trouble during Patnaik’s visit.
The Congress members, led by the chief whip, rushed into the well of the House demanding an apology from Patnaik, who also holds the home portfolio. The MLAs, who were shouting anti-government slogans, sought a ruling from the chair in this regard and also attempted to climb onto the Speaker’s podium and grab his mike. The ruckus prompted Speaker Niranjan Pujari to adjourn the House till noon.
As soon as the House reassembled, Leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra of the Congress reiterated the demand for an apology from the Chief Minister. “I demand that the Chief Minister come to the House and apologise for illegally confining girls in their own college,” he said.
The Speaker urged the members to participate in the adjournment motion brought by opposition members on mismanagement in paddy procurement but the Congress MLAs were in no mood to relent. As the din did not die down, the Speaker adjourned the House till 3 pm.
When the member’s gathered again, pandemonium continued to prevail, following which the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.
BJP’s Radharani Panda later said outside the Assembly that the detention of the girls in the college was an insult to women and the government must give a clarification in this regard.
However, BJD student’s wing president and MLA Byomakesh Ray said that no girl was confined to a room and stated that the allegations brought by opposition members are “baseless”.