BJP MLAs leave Assembly session over protest crackdown

The BJP MLAs left the House on Thursday claiming that the police were stopping people from attending their protest in Shimla.

“In a democratic setup, the Opposition should be allowed to speak inside the House as well as outside the House. However, the police are stopping people several kilometers away from the protest site. So, we are walking out of the House,” said Thakur.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the “walkout” should not be recorded as the Opposition had walked out without any reason. Before walking out of the House, Thakur alleged that water cannons had been procured from Haryana and intense barricading had been done at the protest.

“I spoke to the DGP and the SP in the morning and assured them that we will conduct the protest peacefully. Still, the police are stopping people from reaching the site,” said Thakur.

The Chief Minister said that the government has not issued any instruction to police to stop people from coming to the protest site.

“Higher barricades have been done to ensure that people do not climb the barricades and hurt themselves,” he said.