Congress raises ‘pellet guns’, BJP counters with 1984 riots at panel meet
A BJP member brought up the “glorification” of anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar to counter the Congress’s move to raise a matter that was not part of the agenda of “crimes against children”. Chugh’s remarks drew a sharp reaction from Congress MP Jai Prakash, who said the issue was not relevant at all. BJP has accused Congress MP Deepender Hooda of being laudatory in his tribute to Kumar.
A tense exchange unfolded at a Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs meeting, where BJP and Congress MPs clashed over the police's handling of student protests in Delhi on July 20 and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the source states. Congress members pressed for a discussion on the police action against the students, while the BJP proposed delving into the 1984 riots instead.
This led to a verbal spat between the two factions, with BJP MP Tarun Chugh and Congress MP Jai Prakash clashing in particular, prompting the committee chairman, Radha Mohan Das Agrawal, to remove the exchange from the official record, the source notes. The meeting's agenda was to hear ministries' perspectives on "crime against children".
Congress panel members contended that the events of July 20 constituted a "crime against children" and should be addressed by the committee. A BJP representative allegedly criticized Congress for celebrating its former leader Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, it is reported. Another Congress MP countered, criticizing BJP allegations of fake encounters in Haryana, sparking a heated verbal altercation.
On August 5, Congress MP submitted a letter to Agrawal, requesting a discussion on police action against students at Jantar Mantar during the protest over the NEET paper leak. When Agrawal couldn't hear the letter on August 5, the Congress members demanded its inclusion in Tuesday's meeting. Agrawal told the panel that since the police action matter was pending before the Supreme Court, it couldn't be discussed during the parliamentary committee meeting, according to parliamentary rules and procedures, the source adds.
Two Congress MPs argued with Agrawal about the importance of discussing police action against students, asserting that it fell under the "crime against children" agenda. Agrawal ruled that the issue couldn't be addressed during the meeting but suggested a future discussion on standard operating procedures (SOP) for the use of force during protests, it is learned.
He stated that officials from relevant departments could be called for a future meeting to discuss the SOP, and the committee decided to exclude both the Congress MP's letter and the heated exchanges from the meeting's official record.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express - India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
