AGARTALA: Former leader of the opposition and Trinamool Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Monday snatched speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath’s ceremonial mace from his table and made off with it before being restrained by the marshal of the assembly. Barman was protesting against the speaker’s refusal to allow a discussion on a sex scandal involving forest and rural development minister Naresh Jamatia.
This was the fifth time in the history of the Tripura assembly that the speaker had lost his symbols of authority. Monday’s session began heating up after opposition parties, Congress and TMC, sought Jamatia’s expulsion from the cabinet for his alleged involvement in a sex scandal in his constituency. Jamatia and Mrinmay Sen, councillor of the Agartala Municipal Council, have been accused of molesting a seven-year-old girl. Sen was arrested by Tripura police. He was later released on bail.
Congress and TMC legislators trooped into the well of the house after the question hour raising slogans against Jamatia and CMManik Sarkar, after law minister Tapan Chakraborty forbade a discussion on the matter saying as it was “subjudice”. Amid the sloganeering, Roy Barman lifted the speaker’s mace and ran towards the exit.
Both Congress and Trinamool MLAs followed him in a noisy walkout, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house. Later, marshal of the assembly Arun Chandra Das recovered the mace from Roy Barman and reinstated it on the speaker’s table. “I am ashamed. Roy Barman is a senior member of the house. What message has he given to his juniors? ” Debnath told. Roy Barman, however, said he was only trying to attract the speaker’s attention.
Bureau Report
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