Mumbai:
Five legislators from Maharashtra who allegedly thrashed a policeman inside the premises of the state Assembly yesterday have been suspended from the House till December 31.
The MLAs - Kshitij Thakur from the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, Ram Kadam from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Rajan Salvi from the Shiv Sena, Jaikumar Rawal from the BJP and an independent Pradeep Jaiswal - were among a group of 10-12 legislators who had allegedly slapped and punched Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Suryavanshi.
A day before he was thrashed, the policeman had stopped Bahujan Vikas Aghadi MLA Kshitij Thakur for speeding on the Bandra-Worli sealink in Mumbai.
The legislators reportedly got enraged after Mr Thakur accused the policeman of breach of privilege and alleged that he had also abused him when he stopped him on the Bandra-Worli sealink.
While members cutting across party lines demanded that the cop be suspended, some of them rushed to the visitor's gallery where the policeman was sitting and thrashed him. The police officer was rushed to a hospital on a stretcher. He had been summoned to the Assembly to explain his action.
Sources say arrest of some of these MLAs is imminent as the attack on the cop seems unprovoked. The police, they say, have the authority to arrest MLAs in such cases of criminal offence even if they take place inside the Assembly. Per procedure, they have to inform the chairperson of the Assembly, even if it is after the arrest.