NO protests at Parliament gates: Lok Sabha speaker's stern diktat after heated BJP vs Congress showdown

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla imposed a strict ban on protests at the gates of Parliament after a clash between the leaders of the ruling NDA and the Congress at the Makar Dwar escalated into complete chaos, India Today reported citing sources.

Chaos unfolded outside the Parliament on Thursday as NDA and INDIA bloc MPs held separate protests over Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on Dr. BR Ambedkar. The protests took a violent turn when MPs from both sides confronted each other, which led to jostling.

The chaos at Makar Dwar left 2 BJP MPs -- Pratap Chandra Sarangi and Mukesh Rajput -- injured. The Congress, on the other hand, alleged that some BJP leaders pushed their party President Mallikarjun Kharge.

During the clash, BJP MP Sarangi sustained a forehead injury and was rushed to the hospital. The BJP alleged that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi pushed an MP who fell on Sarangi.

Responding to the allegations, Gandhi claimed that the BJP MPs, allegedly armed with sticks, stopped him from entering the Parliament. Moreover, the Congress claimed that BJP MPs not only manhandled the Gandhi scion but also Kharge.

In his letter to Om Birla, Kharge claimed that he was pushed during the commotion and sustained injury on his knees, which have already undergone surgery.

"When I reached Makar Dwar along with the INDIA party's MPs, I was physically pushed by BJP MPs. Thereafter, I lost my balance and was forced to sit down on the ground in front of Makar Dwar. This inflicted injury on my knees, which have already undergone surgery," Kharge wrote.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has filed an FIR against Rahul Gandhi based on a complaint by BJP MP Hemang Joshi. He was accused of "physical assault and incitement" during the protests.

BJP MPs Hemang Joshi, Bansuri Swaraj, and Anurag Thakur reached the Parliament Street Police Station to file a complaint against the Lok Sabha LoP.

The case against Gandhi was registered under Sections 115 (voluntary causing hurt), 117 (voluntary causing grievous hurt), 125 (act of endangering life or personal safety of others), 131 (use of criminal force), 351 (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (common intention to commit crime) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

(With India Today inputs)