Eighteen BJP MLAs from Jharkhand were suspended from the assembly until 2 PM on August 2 and were escorted out by marshals when they declined to leave the House on Thursday.
Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto took action against the BJP members following their disruption in the House. This was in response to marshals removing opposition MLAs the previous day and Chief Minister Hemant Soren's alleged refusal to address their queries.
Leader of the Opposition Amar Bauri claimed that there is a dictatorship in Jharkhand.
BJP lawmakers gathered at the House's well before the start of the session and chanted slogans calling for Chief Minister Hemant Soren's resignation. They were also observed tearing some documents at the well.
Members of both the ruling and opposition parties engaged in heated arguments before the session commenced.
With the chaotic situation persisting, Mahto suspended 18 BJP legislators. As they declined to leave the House even after being suspended, he called in marshals to remove those opposition members.
Several BJP MLAs of Jharkhand spent Wednesday night in the assembly lobby after marshals evicted them from the well of the House where they were protesting against Chief Minister Hemant Soren's "refusal" to reply to their questions on key issues including employment.
The Speaker said the Assembly Ethics Committee will probe the matter and submit a report to him within a week.
He then adjourned the house till 12.30 pm.
BJP legislators told reporters outside the assembly that democracy was "murdered" by the Speaker at the behest of the JMM-led government in the state.
Leader of the Opposition Amar Bauri claimed Thursday's act showed that the state government has become a dictator.
"We requested the government to reply to questions on issues related to the people. What happened is an attempt to suppress the voice of opposition MLAs," Bauri said.
The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance added a black chapter to the history of the assembly, he claimed.
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