Sangeeta Singh Deo, a parliamentarian with India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has accused opposition Congress Party lawmakers Ramya Haridas and Jothimani Sennimalai of physically assaulting her, shoving elbows in her chest and scratching her arms.
Stating that this is not how parliamentary democracy works, she said her party colleague and Federal Minister Smriti Irani came to her rescue and held her from behind otherwise she would have been on the floor of the Parliament’s lower house -- Lok Sabha.
BREAKING: BJP MP Sangeeta Singh Deo alleges she was attacked by Congress MP Ramya and @jothims. They held me, scratched my elbow and hit me, I was about to fall when @smritiirani held me back. This is not how parliamentary democracy works, she says. pic.twitter.com/BdTU3PuqYW
— Prashant Kumar (@scribe_prashant) March 3, 2020
Deo brought medical reports with her to prove the assault and submitted it to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Her accusation comes a day after Congress Parliamentarian Ramya Haridas, whom Deo has accused of assaulting her, claimed that she was beaten up by the BJP’s Jaskaur Meena on Tuesday.
“It was shocking when someone suddenly hit me from back on my shoulder. We don’t expect to be beaten up inside Parliament,” Haridas told media.
It is a matter of shame that Congress member of MP Ramya Haridas was physically assaulted inside the parliament by BJP MP Jaskaur Meena.
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 2, 2020
Sansad se sadak tak, BJP se Beti Bachao. pic.twitter.com/NLd5F04PJo
Haridas, the Congress lawmaker, had later in the day approached the Lower House Speaker asking him to look into CCTV footage to “establish the truth”, and said she sought action against BJP lawmaker Jaskaur Meena.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday after Speaker Birla urged lawmakers, protesting against the Delhi violence, to maintain the dignity and decorum of the house.
However, after repeated adjournments, the House adjourned for the day as members continued to protest with banners and placards demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah over the Delhi communal riots last week.
