By IANS,
Chandigarh : At least 15 Congress legislators were booked Thursday following allegations that they assaulted security staff of the Punjab assembly the day before, police said.
The assembly speaker, meanwhile, suspended nine Congress legislators for the remaining part of the ongoing budget session.
The first information report (FIR) was registered by the police following a complaint by one of the security staffers, Jaipal Singh, a head constable with Punjab Police.
The Congress legislators have been booked for using assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duties, intimidation and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Police sources said that the FIR was registered after the assembly speaker asked the city police to register a case.
Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal Thursday suspended nine Congress legislators for the day. Later, he suspended them from the assembly for the entire session. The assembly’s ongoing session is till March 26.
The nine were suspended for the alleged assault on the assembly security staff.
Atwal Wednesday charged Congress lawmakers with “criminally assaulting” the watch and ward staff while compromising the security of the assembly complex here.
Congress legislators clashed with security personnel and the watch and ward staff in the Punjab assembly complex as a young woman, who was thrashed and abused by police officials in Tarn Taran, tried to barge into the complex during the ongoing budget session.
The commotion started when the victim, accompanied by Congress legislators was taken to the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) office in the assembly complex.
The security and assembly staff reached the office to take her away as she had entered without a valid entry pass. This was objected to by Congress legislators and this resulted in a clash between them and the security personnel.
Some Congress legislators, who were inside the assembly hall shouted slogans against the government and staged a walkout.
Atwal said the Congress legislators led by leader of opposition Sunil Jakhar, “had brought some unidentified and unauthorized persons without valid entry pass to Punjab Vidhan Sabha premises with unknown motives.”