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Pepper shame: Meira seeks security review
Tribune News Service

Deputy Speaker to head committee A panel headed by Dy Speaker Karia Munda will look into security issues Speaker has called an emergency meeting on Monday There is demand for frisking of MPs before they enter the chamber Complaint against 21 Andhra MPs A complaint was filed in a Bihar court against 21 MPs accusing them of sedition and bringing shame to democracy by using pepper spray in the LS

New Delhi, February 14
Upset over the uproarious scenes and use of pepper spray inside the Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar today referred the matter to the Committee on Security in Parliament Complex to review arrangements to prevent members from bringing dangerous or life-threatening material into the chamber of the House.

Condemning the disgraceful act of “defilement of the dignity of the temple of democracy”, the Speaker said: “Members must maintain the highest standards of parliamentary decorum and uphold democratic values.”

The Speaker decided that the matter should be looked in totality by a joint committee headed by the Deputy Speaker Karia Munda. She has summoned an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss pros and cons of various security measures that should be adopted.

The committee will examine all security-related issues, including steps to prevent bringing of dangerous material into the House. After yesterday’s episode, there’s demand for frisking of MPs before they enter the chamber.

Former MP Harikesh Bahadur told The Tribune that during 1980s such a measure existed for a brief period for officials after a member brought a weapon inside the House and displayed it. However, the step was withdrawn after members protested.