Mah Assembly adjourned over maltreatment of MLA's family by police

Nagpur, Nov 27 (UNI) The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was adjourned for 20 minutes today amid an opposition uproar over the alleged maltreatment meted out to the family members of a member of the House by a senior police official in Solapur recently.

The matter was brought to the notice of the House through a notice for breach of privilege motion by Ratikant Patil (Shiv Sena).

Mr Patil said that on August 15 last, when he was in Mumbai himself, Solapur Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamthe stormed into his home along with other staff and beat up his mother and two daughters black and blue.

The official said the family members had burst firecrackers after the 2200 hours deadline during the birthday celebrations of his brother, Ravikant Patil, who is a sitting member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, he said, and alleged that the official was drunk at the time.

No action had been initiated against the official in spite of repeated complaints to the Chief Minister and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Patil said amid cries of ''shame, shame'' from the opposition benches.

Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar said while accepting the notice that there could be no two opinions that action was justified for violating the deadline on bursting of crackers. However, it was inappropriate to misbehave with the family members of a legislator, he said.

''I personally wrote four times to the Home Department -- on August 16, September 19, October 11 and November 22 -- to ascertain the fact, but to no avail. I have still not received a reply. This shows how sensitive the department is about the prestige of the legislators,'' Mr Kupekar said amid cries of ''shame, shame''.

Several members, including Leader of the Opposition Ramdas Kadam, Eknath Khadse (BJP) and Narsayya Adam (CPM) demanded that Kamthe be suspended forthwith pending proceeding of breach of privilege against him.

Agitated members from the opposition then trooped into the well of the House crowding around the Speaker's podium demanding the official's suspension, forcing Mr Kupekar to adjourn the proceedings.

UNI