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Corporator's murder halts proceedings in Maharashtra council

The Maharashtra legislative council was adjourned four times Monday amidst pandemonium over New Bombay corporator Meena More's murder.

This was one of the few instances in the legislative council's history when the ruling party members stalled the proceedings for such a long duration.

Immediately after the question hour, Neega Desai, rising on a point of propriety, said More, set ablaze by alleged Congress activists, succumbed to her burns Sunday. More, thus, has become a 'victim of Congress goondaism', she remarked, providing a signal for the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party members to raise anti-Congress slogans.

Congressman Kripashankar Singh got up to object to the accusations, but was shouted down. This led to the first adjournment for five minutes.

When the House resumed, Desai, Prakash Javadekar (BJP), Shishir Shinde (Shiv Sena) and others again shouted slogans. They ignored Chairman N S Pharande's exhortation that this was the first day of the week and they should allow proceedings.

Pharande said he had allowed Desai to raise the issue; now they must refrain from stalling the proceedings.

The Sena-BJP members remained unmoved, forcing two more adjournments.

UNI

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