Congress delegation meets Haryana Governor over Aug 27 'manhandling' of MLAs
Bhupinder Hooda-led delegation alleges police action against MLAs; says neither Speaker nor CM took responsibility
A Congress delegation led by former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda met Haryana Governor Prof Ashim Kumar Ghosh on Monday and complained about the alleged manhandling of Hooda and party MLAs.
The delegation met the Governor after a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party.
Congress MLAs had scheduled a programme to register their protest regarding unemployment, inflation, law and order, theft of temple donations at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, paper leaks, and the caste-based insult directed at Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The MLAs marched towards the Legislative Assembly building, peacefully raising slogans and carrying placards on August 27.
The party memorandum submitted to the Governor said, “The presence of a massive Haryana Police contingent at this entry point was surprising and unprecedented; it created the impression that Haryana is not a democratic state. The open suppression and trampling of the Assembly's autonomy and dignity by the police was both distressing and alarming. The conduct of the police and the Assembly's security personnel there was unusually disrespectful, inappropriate, and aggressive.”
It added, “We were forcibly stopped, and the MLAs were manhandled. Police force was utilized to stifle the voices of elected representatives rather than to curb the rising crime in the state, which is a matter of grave concern. A protest that was being conducted entirely in accordance with the rules was forcibly halted by the Haryana Police.”
The Congress also complained about the indifferent attitude of Speaker Harvinder Kalyan and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to their manhandling.
The memorandum said, “We sought to ascertain in the Legislative Assembly under whose orders and under which rules these actions were taken; however, neither the Speaker nor the Leader of the House provided any satisfactory information or accepted responsibility for the matter.”
“Visual evidence regarding the incident—including photographs taken at the time—is available. These images allow for an objective assessment of the prevailing circumstances and the conduct of the security personnel. The protest by Congress Party MLAs was entirely peaceful and democratic, violating no rules, traditions, or decorum of the Assembly; peaceful protests involving slogans and placards have previously taken place at the Assembly's entrance. Such protests are also considered a standard democratic practice in Parliament,” it added.
The party requested the Governor to take immediate cognizance of the matter to ensure that action is taken against the guilty parties as per the rules.
