Uproar in Assam Assembly after deputy speaker 'attacked' by Congress MLA

After the session resumed, Deputy Speaker Numal Momin came to the House with his left hand in bandage and said that he was injured after being stopped by Congress MLAs while entering the House on Monday morning.

Guwahati: The Assam Assembly witnessed one of its worst sessions with MLAs belonging to both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress party resorting to threats since Friday, and an alleged attack on the deputy speaker on Monday.

Two days after, Rupjyoti Kurmi, a BJP MLA, threatened the opposition MLAs to break their mic during the ongoing budget session, ruling BJP on Monday alleged that the Deputy Speaker Numal Momin was injured by Congress legislator Nurul Huda just outside the House. This resulted in a upror inside the House with the ruling party MLAs including CM Himanta Biswa Sarma urging the Speaker to take action against Huda.

"In the Assembly's rich history, it never happened when deputy speaker was attacked the way it happened today. There should be strict action in order to deter similar incident in the future," Sarma said amid the chaos inside the House.

Huda stood up and declined the ruling party's allegation but, that did not pacify the ruling party's MLAs. The stormy situation that prevailed forced the Speaker Biswajit Daimary to adjourn the House briefly.

The leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia urged the Speaker to check the CCTV footage of the alleged incident.

After the session resumed, Deputy Speaker Numal Momin came to the House with his left hand in bandage and said that he was injured after being stopped by Congress MLAs while entering the House at 9.23 am on Monday .

"This shocking act of aggression resulted in a cut on my left hand, for which I had to seek immediate medical attention at the Assembly’s Medical Unit. Violence in the very heart of democracy is not just an attack on an individual but an assault on the principles that uphold our democratic institutions. When elected representatives resort to physical aggression instead of debate, it signals a dangerous erosion of democratic values. If such behavior is tolerated, it sets a disturbing precedent, putting the very essence of democracy in peril," he later posted on social media.

Momin has lodged an FIR at Dispur police station seeking action against Huda.

Action against BJP MLA

The Congress MLAs allegedly stopped Momin and were demanding him to take strict action BJP MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, who threatened Saikia and Akhil Gogoi, an MLA of Raijor Dal, an opposition regional party, inside the House, on Friday. "Don't talk, I will break your mic," Kurmi told them on Friday, when he was interrupted by Gogoi while he was speaking. Momin was charing the House. The Opposition MLAs demanded Kurmi's expulsion from the House but no action was taken. However, Kurmi apologised inside the House.

As BJP came under sharp criticism, Dilip Saikia, president of BJP's Assam unit, issued a statement condemning it and asked Kurmi to make public apology. Saikia said behaviour shown by Kurmi was not accepted in BJP but the Opposition MLAs demanded Kurmi's immediate expulsion from the Assembly and suspension.