Assembly mourns death of politicians, disaster victims

SPEAKER LED THE HOUSE IN MORUNING THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE U’KHAND CLOUDBURST AND DHAKA TERROR ATTACK

RANCHI: The first day of the Monsoon Session of the state assembly saw the House mourning politicians who passed away and pay tribute to the victims of natural disasters and terror attacks across the globe.

The Speaker led the condolences for legislators Raghunandan Mandal and Videsh Singh, who died on January 3 and March 28 respectively. Mandal was a first time legislator, while Singh was three-time legislator from Panki.

The Speaker also paid homage to Lalmuni Choubey, who had represented Buxar in Bihar both as an MP and as an MLA and had been a close confidant of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The house also paid tribute to Bhai Halen Kujur, a former member of the Bihar Legislative Council (1982-88) and an activist of Jharkhand movement, Madhu Jyotsna Akhauri, former Bihar MLA from East Jamshedpur 1967-68, pioneer of Kolhan movement Krishna Chandra Hembrom, former president of erstwhile Jansanagh Balraj Madhok, Forward Block veteran Ashok Ghosh instrumental in forming first Left Front government in the country, Mahendra Narayan Jha, former MLA from Khajauli in Bihar and hockey dribbling wizard Md Shahid.

The House also mourned the people who lost their lives in the cloudburst and landslide in Uttarakhand; the Dhaka terror attack on July 1; the Singhastha Kumbh; the firecracker tragedy at Puttingal temple, Kerala; and the policemen and paramilitary personnel who were martyred in Maoist and extremist attacks in Chhattisgarh, Manipur and Aurangabad, Bihar.

Leader of the Opposition Hemant Soren also added the names of minor boy Rupesh Swansi, who died in police custody earlier this month and Topchanchi police inspector Umesh Kacchap, who died under mysterious circumstances at his police station, while investigating a fellow officer.

Soren was supported by JVM-P leader Pradeep yadav, BSP’s Shivpujan Mehta, CPI (ML)’s Raj Kumar Yadav and Congress’ Alamgir Alam.

“Democracy has also been murdered and we should pay homage to that too,” Soren said.