Lok Sabha Debates
Regarding Reported Beating Up Of Some Mps Leading A March Organised By The Left ... on 9 April, 2003
nt> 12.06 hrs. Title: Regarding reported beating up of some MPs leading a march organised by the Left Democratic Front in Kerala to the respective SP offices of their districts by Kerala Police.
SHRI SURESH KURUP (KOTTAYAM): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to bring to the notice of this House about the ghastly incident that took place in Kerala. On March 17, four of our hon. members – Shri N.N. Krishnadas, Shri S. Ajaya Kumar, Shri T. Govindan and Shri A.P. Abdullakutty – were brutally beaten up by the Kerala Police. On that day, they were leading a march organised by the Left Democratic Front in Kerala to the respective SP Offices of their districts.
Of these four, Shri Krishnadas and Shri Abdullakutty were brutally and inhumanly beaten up. Sir, kindly look at the hand of Shri Krishnadas. His hand was broken by the police. They were leading a march to their SP Office in Palghat district. And seeing that the septuagenarian and political leader, Shri Sivadas Menon, who was the former Finance Minister in Kerala being beaten up, Shri Krishnadas went to him and prevented from beating. So, he was thoroughly beaten up. Shri Ajaya Kumar was beaten up in the district hospital where he went to meet those persons who were taken to the hospital. He was surrounded in the corridor of the district hospital and beaten up.
Shri T. Govindan and Shri Abdullakutty were beaten in their respect district headquarters at Kasargod and Cannanore. Sir, as you know, Shri T. Govindan is a heart patient. None of these police officers was asked to explain as to what happened in their district headquarters. The police officers who led this beating are going scot-free. In spite of the repeated complaints from the hon. Members of Parliament, the Government of Kerala has not taken any action or not even ordered an inquiry regarding this lathi charge.
Sir, this is a very serious matter. All these Members are charged by the respective police officers. CrPC 307 is charged against them. IPC 307 is charged against them. So, this is a very serious matter.
The Government should come forward to this House and explain as to what action is going to be taken against the police officers. Will the Government ask the Government of Kerala to explain regarding this matter? Sir, my request is that … (Interruptions) Will you please sit down? … (Interruptions)
SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH (ADOOR): Sir, he is misleading the House. This is not correct. … (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: Please sit down. Let the hon. Member speak.
… (Interruptions)
SHRI SOMNATH CHATTERJEE (BOLPUR): Sir, the hon. Members have certain grievances. I would request everybody to listen to them, and if they have anything to respond, they can do so afterwards. … (Interruptions)
SHRI SURESH KURUP : Sir, never in the history of this country, this sort of brutal beating up of the hon. Members by the Police had taken place. … (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: Shri Suresh Kurup, you need not address him. You kindly address the Chair. You can speak on this issue.
… (Interruptions)
MR SPEAKER: Hon. Members, please sit down. The hon. Members are expected to observe discipline in the House. Shri Suresh Kurup, you do not refer to anything said by any other Member. You can just speak on the incident. This is a serious incident. I have permitted you to speak. You can always speak on it.
… (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: I can understand your anxiety.
But in the House, we go with a certain discipline. They want to raise the issue. Let them say. It is the question of assault on the Member of Parliament. Let him say.
SHRI SURESH KURUP : Sir, this is an unprecedented incident. This sort of an incident never happened in the history of this country. Four Members of Parliament in their State were beaten up in their respective constituencies. In spite of repeated complaints to the Chief Minister and to the Government of Kerala, no action is being taken. Who will protect our Members? So, my request is that this House should discuss this issue and request the Government of Kerala to take appropriate action against the concerned police officers. Sir, you should protect us.… (Interruptions)
SHRI N.N. KRISHNADAS (PALGHAT): Sir, let me say. I was leading a march of the people. It was decided by the Leftist Democratic Front in Kerala. They were demanding a probe on the firing that took place against the Adivasis on 17th March. So, before we reached the police blockade, the police started beating us. I was seeing the police beating up one of our very senior political leaders. He was the ex-Finance Minister of Kerala. He is a veteran. He is 71 years old. Shri Sivadas Menon was brutally beaten up. Since I was present there, I asked that police officer not to beat such a very senior and old veteran political leader. That police officer is a Deputy-Superintendent of Police. He knocked me very personally. He had beaten me up personally. You see, Sir, one of my bones has been broken. My right arm shoulder bone has been dislocated. I can show you now. I think it is unfair to remove my clothes here. Everybody can see the injuries on my body.… (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: Shri Radhakrishnan, do not encourage him to do that. This is the supreme body of the country. Why should you do that? Please do not do that.
SHRI N.N. KRISHNADAS : I think it is unfair to remove my clothes in this august House. If anybody wants to see that, I can show those injuries on my body. This bone has been broken. One police officer had beaten me up. This is the situation. So, who will protect us? It is part of my parliamentary duty to take part in the agitation of the people’s movement. If not, why should I be a Member of this Parliament? So, this is my request that this House should ask them. This House is very much competent to do that. This House should ask the Government of Kerala to take proper and immediate action against this police officer.… (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: Shri Shivraj Patil will also be allowed to speak. Shri Radhakrishnan, please sit down.
I have received on the same issue a notice of privilege against the Superintendent of Police, Cannanore, Kerala. The notices of 18th, 20th and 27th, three days, were given to me. One was from Shri Abdullakutty; another was from Shri Govindan; and the third was from Shri Ajaya Kumar. I have gone through the notices. Also, I have called for a factual note in the matter from the Ministry of Home Affairs. I will be able to take the decision on the subject after I receive the factual information from the Department of Home Affairs as per the procedure. There is no doubt that the matter is of a serious nature.
कुंवर अखिलेश सिंह (महाराजगंज, उ.प्र.) : अध्यक्ष महोदय, यह मसला संसद सदस्य को पीटने से जुड़ा हुआ है। इसलिए मेरा निवेदन है कि इस मामले में आप प्रॉसीजर से अलग हटकर, विशेषाधिकार हनन का मामला समझकर, तुरन्त कार्रवाई करने के निर्देश देने की कृपा करें।
SHRI VARKALA RADHAKRISHNAN (CHIRAYINKIL): Sir, I will be permitted to speak.
MR. SPEAKER: Shri Radhakrishnan, every Member will not be allowed to speak. Those affected Members have been allowed to speak.
SHRI VARKALA RADHAKRISHNAN : I have given a notice.
MR. SPEAKER: You are not an affected Member. You were neither there nor were you beaten up. So, please sit down. Only the affected Members have to make their speeches.
I am allowing Shri Shivraj Patil to speak. Let us hear the deputy leader of the Congress Party.
SHRI SHIVRAJ V. PATIL (LATUR): Sir, if one of the hon. Members of this House is assaulted, we certainly understand his agony and our sympathy would be with him. If it were necessary, because there is a Government belonging to our Party in that State, we would certainly ask that Government to look into the matter and take appropriate action. That is the correct thing, which could be done.
Having said that, please allow me to very humbly submit that on the one hand we are with him and we join him on what he has said in his agony but yet on the other hand if this kind of a procedure were allowed we would be required to go into all the actions taken by the State Governments and then we would not have the information to say whether what has been said on the floor of the House is correct or wrong. It would be very difficult to ask and you have very rightly asked for the information from the Government. Though we, as hon. Members of this House are involved in these things, yet the precedent should not be laid in such a manner that in future it becomes difficult for each of the Governments in each of the States to reply to such things. That aspect also should not be lost sight of. … (Interruptions)
SHRI N.N. KRISHNADAS : What do you mean by that? With all due respect to you, I would like to know what you mean. … (Interruptions)
SHRI SHIVRAJ V. PATIL : We are not going to submit to your shouting or bamboozling because you do not understand the spirit in which we are saying this. We are not going to be shouted down. … (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: I have allowed Shri Shivraj Patil to speak. Nothing should go on record except what Shri Shivraj Patil says.
(Interruptions)* MR. SPEAKER: I am very happy that Shri Shivraj Patil has taken a right stand on the issue.
… (Interruptions)
SHRI SHIVRAJ V. PATIL : Sir, any Member shouting on top of his voice to shut the other Member’s mouth cannot be allowed. This is not the way. … (Interruptions)
* Not Recorded.
SHRI SOMNATH CHATTERJEE : Sir, every section of the House agrees – I believe, Shri Shivraj Patil also said that – that the attack on Members of Parliament cannot be supported. It has to be objected.
I appreciate what he has said. I am grateful to all hon. Members for the support that has been given to Members of my Party who have been beaten up very badly. I have been in constant touch with them in the hospital. They were lying there in agony. I could talk to the doctors also.
The point is, let no impression be given that this type of brutality or activity is being condoned by any quarters. This impression should not be created here. I would request and I am sure Shri Shivraj Patil would agree that let the Government of Kerala take all possible and proper steps against the guilty officers, if they are found to be guilty.
You have already kindly observed that the privilege issue is being kept alive and you would certainly look into it with all the seriousness that it deserves. Therefore, I am thankful to everybody and I hope such similar situations would not occur in this country. If it occurs, we would have to raise it again. … (Interruptions)
SHRI SHIVRAJ V. PATIL : May I now complete my submission, Sir? … (Interruptions)
MR. SPEAKER: Hon. Members, please sit down.
SHRI SHIVRAJ V. PATIL : I totally agree with the spirit of the statement given by Shri Somnath Chatterjee and what he has suggested. I have already said that it would be done. Now, after he has said it, it would be reinforced and it would be done. You are also seized of the matter. The only thing I was saying was that this should be done in such a fashion that it does not create any bad precedent. … (Interruptions)
अध्यक्ष महोदय : मैं राम विलास पासवान जी के बाद आपको मौका देने वाला हूं। आप दो मिनट में बोलिये।
Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, I am giving you only two minutes to speak.
… (Interruptions)
अध्यक्ष महोदय : आप किस विषय पर बोलना चाहते हैं?
डॉ.विजय कुमार मल्होत्रा (दक्षिण दिल्ली):उन्होंने जो कहा है, मैं उस पर कहना चाहता हूं।
अध्यक्ष महोदय : केरल का विषय तो समाप्त हो गया। राम विलास जी, आप जरा बैठिये।
डॉ.विजय कुमार मल्होत्रा:अध्यक्ष जी, जो सोमनाथ चटर्जी साहब ने कहा और जो शिवराज पाटिल जी ने कहा, वह बिल्कुल ठीक है, उसे आप देख रहे हैं, यह भी ठीक है। पर शिवराज पाटिल जी ने एक बात बाद में कही कि इसे कोई प्रिसीडेंस न बनाया जाये, यह पूछने के लिए या स्टेट गवर्नमेंट से इन्कवायर करने के लिए।
मेरा कहना है कि अगर हाउस में किसी मैम्बर पर जैसी यह घटना हुई है वैसी घटना हो तो स्टेट गवर्नमैंट से पूछना ही चाहिए और उसके पूछने के बाद आप फैसला करें तो यह स्टेट गवर्नमैंट के पक्ष में बात जाती है। इसलिए मैं इससे एग्री नहीं करता कि इसको प्रीजिडैंट न बनाया जाये।Whenever there is a case of this type, we should ask from the State Government.तभी तो आप फैसला करेंगे कि प्रविलेज मोशन बनता है या नहीं बनता।
MR. SPEAKER: Hon. Members, if you want your issues to be raised in the House, then please cooperate with the Chair. I am warning to all the Members not to waste the time of the House; otherwise their issues will not be taken up in the House.
… (Interruptions)
----------------