The Times of India News Service

LUCKNOW: Except for a walkout staged by the BSP members, the proceedings in Vidhan Parishad were conducted on a peaceful note on Tuesday.

Through an adjournment notice, the BSP members led by Sukhdeo Rajbhar raised the issue of lathicharge on the lawyers at the district court in Varnasi on April 21. Speaking on the admissibility of the motion, Rajbhar said that the district judge was trying to get the tin shades used by the lawyers demolished forcibly to get a building constructed there. Another BSP member Ghaysuddin Kidwai alleged that the government had adopted an indifferent attitude towards the lawyers' problems.

In his reply, leader of the house and senior minister Lalji Tandon said that it was a dispute between the district judge and the lawyers. He said that police had to intervene when the lawyers not only raised slogans and used abusive language against the DJ but also assaulted a constable carrying dak. They snatched away the dak and damaged his bicycle.

The notice was rejected by the chairman OP Sharma. BSP members staged a walk out.

Samajwadi Party members Ahmad Hasan and Pradeep Kumar Yadav raised the issue of killing of 16 persons in an encounter with the police at Bhawanipur village under Madiaon police station in Mirzapur district on the night of March 8/9. CPI-M member Ram Sumer Yadav said that naxalites had every right to hold meeting. The police had no business to open fire on them. BSP member Daya Ram Pal also gave an adjournment notice on the same issue.

The leader of the house said in his reply that police got the information that some armed men had collected there who were likely to resort to some major incident posing threat to the lives of the people. He said that the police asked them to come out of the house but instead of doing so, they started firing on the police party. The police resorted to firing only after that. He said 11 of the 15 persons killed in this encounter had been identified. He said that one 303 and one 315 bore rifles besides a DBBL gun, an SBBL gun, a country-made pistol and some cartridges were recovered from their possession. Rejecting the notice, the chairman directed the leader of the house to give a statement in the house with full facts.

BSP members led by Sukhdeo Rajbhar raised the issue of fire in Bansi Gadrhi village in Malihabad in Lucknow district on Monday. Tandon said that all possible help would be given to the victims.