Gujarat Assembly: Governor cuts short speech amid ruckus by Opposition

GANDHINAGAR: The Budget session of Gujarat Assembly today began on a stormy note with Congress protesting over the Naliya gangrape issue, forcing Governor O P Kohli to cut short his customary address to the House.

On the first day of the session, the opposition Congress MLAs came to the House wearing black clothes to protest the gangrape.

When Governor Kohli started his speech, the Congress MLAs started shouting slogan - "Beti Bachao, Balatkariyo se Beti Bachao" (save daughters, save daughters from rapists).

Some of the MLAs also rushed to the well of the House shouting anti-government slogans.

Amidst the din, Kohli tried to continue reading his speech. However, after reading 4-5 paragraphs, he placed the speech on the table and left the House later.

As the Governor was leaving the House, BJP members also started shouting slogans in response to Congress members.

The sloganeering from both the sides continued for about five minutes.

Later, Assembly Speaker Ramanlal Vora took up an item on agenda for paying condolence to prominent citizens and formers MLAs, who died during last six months.

After the reading of condolence messages was over, Congress MLAs resumed slogan shouting.

The Speaker then adjourned the House for 30 minutes.

Later, Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters that, "Our demand is that the inquiry of Naliya gangrape case should be handed over to a sitting judge of Gujarat High Court".

In an FIR filed at Naliya town of Gujarat's Kutch district earlier this month, a 24-year-old woman had alleged that she was raped by at least nine persons on different occasions about a year back. She alleged that the accused made a video of the act and raped her on several occasions by threatening to circulate the video clip.

The Special Investigation Team of police formed to probe the case arrested eight persons, who had allegedly gangraped the married woman in Naliya.

Those who were arrested included four local BJP leaders, who were suspended from the party after their names cropped up in the FIR.

The woman alleged in her FIR that the accused used to run a sex racket in Kutch district and blackmail the victims.