Lok Sabha marshals manhandled our women MPs: Congress

The Congress MPs were protesting against the BJP forming a government in Maharashtra

Sonia protests ani Congress chief Sonia Gandhi leading a protest by party MPs outside Parliament against the swearing-in of the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra | Twitter handle of ANI

Congress MPs have alleged that marshals in the Lok Sabha “manhandled” legislators of the party, including two women, during a protest in the well of the House on Monday.

The Congress MPs were protesting in the Lok Sabha against the BJP forming a government in Maharashtra on Saturday. Congress members jostled with the marshals in the Lok Sabha when they stormed the well of the House carrying placards, leading to adjournment of Parliament proceedings.

Two women MPs of the Congress—Remya Haridas from Kerala and Jothimani from Tamil Nadu—complained to Speaker Om Birla about the incident.

According to The Indian Express, Congress MPs Hibi Eden and T.N. Prathapan had displayed a banner that read, "Stop murder of democracy", which the speaker ordered to be removed. When the MPs did not comply, Birla ordered the marshals to remove them from the House, triggering a brawl. PTI reported that Birla wants an apology from Prathapan and Eden for storming into the well of the House.

“We are manhandled by the security staff. There’s no women security staff. We feel devastated, we feel humiliated,” Jothimani was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. "It is sad that Ramya Haridas and me were manhandled, we have lodged complaint with the speaker," Jothimani told reporters.

The Indian Express reported BJP MPs tried to intervene in the incident, but were asked to stay put by party chief whip Sanjay Jaiswal.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, alleged, “Security personnel manhandled our women parliamentarians. We have never experienced this inside Parliament. We will be waiting to see what action is been taken against the people responsible.” Chowdhury also said that what he saw in the House was unprecedented and Congress MPs were "pushed around". "It is a testing time for us. We have to decide whether we let democracy or authoritarianism prevail in this country," he said.

Eden, a Congress MP from Kerala, told ANI, “We had raised a very genuine issue [Maharashtra] in the Lok Sabha and protested in democratic manner. Unfortunately, we were taken out by marshals who tried to push us forcefully. We've filed complaint with the speaker.” Eden added, the marshals “tried to get banners from us and our colleagues tried to resist it; our women colleagues were manhandled too”.

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