Legislators pass through five-tier security

 
In the wake of chaos that marred the proceedings on Monday, the Legislative Assembly secretariat and the police had made elaborate arrangements to prevent any such unsavoury incidents this time around.

For the first time, passes were issued to the legislators to enter the Assembly Hall. No vehicles were allowed inside the Vidhana Soudha premises.

Legislators who arrived in buses arranged by the respective parties had to alight outside the gate and walk down to the entrance.

The Speaker issued written orders barring the entry of the 16 disqualified legislators - 11 BJP rebels and five independents - inside the Vidhana Soudha gates.

On Monday, five disqualified independents - Shivaraj Thangadagi, D Sudhakar, Goolihatti Shekar, Venkataramanappa and P M Narendraswamy - had forced their way inside the Assembly Hall breaking glass panes, pushing and shoving away the watch and ward staff.

This time around, iron barricades lined up at the entrance of the Vidhana Soudha, preventing any mass entry into the House. 

This allowed movement of only person at a time. The legislators also had to pass through two metal detectors installed at the entry points, collect their passes from the secretariat staff to gain entry into the House.

Posse of police

A strong posse of police personnel stood guard before the entrance of Vidhana Soudha while a large number of watch and ward staff took their positions inside. All objects, including flower pots, which could double up as missiles, were removed from the Assembly Hall.

The State government declared half-day holiday for staff working in the Vidhana Soudha, Vikasa Soudha and multi-storey complex till 2 pm on Thursday. Traffic in and around the seat of power was also diverted.