The State Assembly witnessed frequent adjournments on Friday as Opposition Congress and BJP members insisted on demanding an apology from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over detention of several students of the Rama Devi Women’s University during Patnaik’s visit to the institute on Thursday.
The House ran only for 20 minutes amid hullabaloo in the day.
As soon as the House met, Congress Chief Whip Taraprasad Bahinipati raising the issue demanded a clarification from the Government as to under what circumstances the girls were detained and not allowed to enter the campus.
As Speaker Niranjan Pujari did not respond and went with the Question Hour, Congress members rushed into the Well of the House started shouting slogans. Bahinipati climbed onto the Speaker’s podium and tried to break his mike.
BJP MlAs also demanded clarification from the Government on the issue standing at their respective seats.
Unable to run the House, the Speaker adjourned the House at 1033 am till 12 noon.
When the House reassembled, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra demanded an apology from the Chief Minister on the issue. “Right to speech and right to liberty have been violated by detention of students,” he said.
This time also, Congress members created ruckus. The Speaker again adjourned the House at 12.14 pm till 3 pm.
The deadlock in the Assembly continued after House reassembled at 3 pm, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House at 3.03 for the day.