Odisha: Congress workers continue protests after suspension of MLAs; allege assault of leaders

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 26 (ANI): Odisha Congress workers continued their sit-in protest outside the party's 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 the alleged atrocities on 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 hit others too. I haven't seen anything like this in my life. I have not seen that the police would get inside the house and assault us, we have been suspended for seven days. Yesterday 12 MLAs were suspended," Bahinipati told ANI at the site of the protest.

Yesterday night, party MLA Sagar Charan Das said that they were protesting peacefully and were raising the issue of women's safety. He added that they are people's representatives and the issue is not a joke. Das further alleged the police assaulted two MLAs and stated that they would continue the protest.
Ramchandra Kadam, Odisha Congress legislative party chief, and also one of the suspended MLAs said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is not ready to listen to the demands for investigating the thousands alleged rapes of women in the state.

"We were demanding to form a House Committee, for the protection of our women, our mothers and daughters, but government is not listening. It has been 14 days. The many rapes and assaults in Odisha which are happening everyday, of minors, is very shameful, and that is why we are demanding a house committee on it. In nine months, around 1700-1800 assault has happened on mothers, and students, it 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 had suspended 12 of the 14 Congress MLAs for seven days for "indiscipline, disrespecting the Chair and violating rules." (ANI)