Opposition fury over 'handling' of E Ahamed's death, demands probe

Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day after uproar erupted over the death of Indian Union Muslim League leader E Ahamed.

Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted on Friday following ruckus by the Opposition over the "ill-treatment" meted out to family members of deceased senior member E Ahamed and the Trinamool Congress alleging "political misuse" of the Central Bureau of Investigation, before the House was adjourned for the day.

The House was first adjourned during Question Hour for 50 minutes till noon after Trinamool Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans and creating a pandemonium over the arrest of its MPs.

Some Telugu Desam Party members were also seen raising banners seeking special status for Andhra Pradesh.

"I will allow you to raise the issue during Zero Hour...not during Quesion Hour...I am warning you," Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said amid noisy scenes before adjourning the House.

When the House reassembled at noon, the Opposition forced adjournment for the second time, barely minutes after the House resumed, with members, cutting across party lines, especially from Kerala, rushing into the Well raising the issue of the death of Ahamed, a former Union Minister and the Indian Union Muslim League chief.

At 1300 hours, similar scenes were witnessed when House reassembled. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan ordered taking up of the discussion on the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament, with Union Minister Mahesh Sharma seeking to initiate the debate.

But several opposition members, including Revolutionary Socialist Party's N K Premachandran, Congress MP KC Venugopal and CPI-M's P Karunakaran, trooped into the Well.

On the other hand, TMC members again raised the issue of the CBI "targeting" its MPs. 

"The Centre is targetting our MPs by misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation. The CBI is a caged parrot. It is using the CBI for political purpose," TMC's deputy leader Saugata Roy said, adding that besides party's Lok Sabha leader Sudeep Bandyopadhyay, another MP Tapas Paul too was arrested by the probe agency.

As the ruckus continued and the slogan-shouting became boisterous, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day till Monday barely ten minutes after it had resumed.

Rajya Sabha

A senior opposition member in Rajya Sabha sought a probe into the manner in which the death of former Union Minister E Ahamed was "handled", alleging he had died soon after being rushed to the hospital but his demise was announced much later.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said there were varied allegations and various information that "I have got that some doctors say he was declared dead when he was taken to the hospital".

Some say Ahamed died subsequently in the ICU, Yechury said, adding that later the IUML leader was shifted to the trauma centre as there were better facilities there.

"I want a proper and thorough investigation in the manner in which the death of one of our senior colleagues of Parliament and a former Cabinet Minister E Ahamed was handled and the way in which the news of his death was sought to be suppressed," he said.

The 78-year old Indian Union Muslim League leader died at RML hospital where he was admitted on January 31 and put on artificial life support.

"There has been interference, that's what I hear, from the highest authorities in the country, from the PMO, and this is something which cannot be accepted.

"This is shameful... I want this issue to be thoroughly investigated. I wish my information is not correct, what I heard. But if it is correct, then they must be made acountable and action must be taken against those who have behaved in this manner," Yechury said.

He further said that other senior leaders were not allowed to see Ahamed in the hosptial and even his own children were not allowed to see him initially.

The CPI-M leader also argued that a person cannot be put on life support without the permission of the nearest relative and wanted to know "how and why was the announcement of his death delayed".

In the Lok Sabha when some Opposition members, particularly those from Kerala, raised the matter around 1300 hours, there was a heated exchange between TMC MP Saugata Roy and some BJP members, forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House for the day.