During the Budget session of the Chhattisgarh State Legislative Assembly on Friday, the Congress MLAs created a ruckus over the murder of three people from a Baiga tribal family in the Pandariya constituency of Kawardha. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, along with Anila Bhendiya and other members, had given notice for an adjournment motion on this issue. Immediately after the Question Hour, former Chief Minister Baghel and other members demanded a discussion on the case during the Zero Hour. Congress members emphasised the urgency of discussing the murder of three members of the same protected tribe family in the House. In the absence of Home Minister Vijay Sharma, Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal informed the House about the arrest of the accused.

 

He revealed that about a month and a half ago, three members of the Baiga family had died in a fire in their house in Naga Dabra of Pandariya, which was later revealed to be a case of murder. There was a considerable uproar in the House demanding a discussion on this issue. The proceedings were adjourned for 5 minutes due to the increasing noise in the House. However, when the session resumed, the chaos continued, leading to another adjournment. Bhupesh Baghel and other members expressed concern over the murder of the Baiga tribal family and alleged that the administration had initially attempted to cover up the case. They emphasised the need to discuss the matter further. Various MLAs provided details of the incident, alleging police negligence and attempts to suppress the case. Congress MLA Harshita Baghel’s allegations on the Pandariya MLA added fuel to the fire, sparking a heated exchange between the ruling and opposition MLAs and further adjournment of the House proceedings.

 

Later Congress MLA Harshita Baghel retracted her remarks against Pandariya MLA. The Opposition continued to demand justice for the Baiga family, leading to objections from BJP MLAs and further disruption of the proceedings. Speaker Dr Singh eventually suspended all Congress MLAs and asked them to leave the House after they entered the well, demanding suspension of Kawardha District Collector and resignation from the State Home Minister. In response to the rejection of the adjournment motion, Bhupesh Baghel criticised political influence in the case and questioned the police investigation while highlighted the delay in arrests, leading to public outrage. As the Opposition continued to protest, Dharamjit Singh who was chairing the proceedings ordered the Opposition MLAs to move out of the House. The suspension was revoked a few minutes later.