18 Jharkhand BJP MLAs suspended, LoP says 'black day' in democracy

Eighteen Jharkhand BJP MLAs were on Thursday suspended from the assembly for a day and subsequently removed by marshals after they refused to leave the House.

Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto acted against the BJP legislators after they caused a disruption in the House in protest against the eviction of opposition MLAs by marshals the previous day and Chief Minister Hemant Soren's "refusal" to address their questions.

Leader of the Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri alleged that a "dictatorship" was prevailing in Jharkhand and claimed that action was taken against BJP legislators at the behest of the JMM-led government.

Several BJP MLAs spent Wednesday night in the assembly lobby after marshals evicted them from the well of the House. They had been protesting Soren's alleged refusal to answer their questions on key issues, including employment.

Much before the House proceedings were scheduled to begin at 11 AM on Thursday, BJP legislators entered the well of the House, raising slogans demandi