2001 Odisha Assembly attack
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| 2001 Odisha Assembly attack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Bhubaneshwar, India |
| Date | 16 December 2001 (UTC+05:30) |
| Target | Orissa Assembly building |
Attack type | rioting, arson, assault and damaging government property. |
| Injured | Many, including Biju Janata Dal legislator Ashok Panigrahi and some policemen. |
The 2001 Odisha Assembly attack was a high-profile attack by Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Durga Vahini.
On 16 December 2001, the activists of Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Durga Vahini who had been on a protest about 300 metres from the Assembly building, surged forth minutes after the House was adjourned for lunch. The protest was held to demand the handing over of the land in Ayodhya to the Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas for the construction of Hindu temple, the release of Giriraj Kishore and the withdrawal of "anti-VHP" comments made by some MLAs in the Orissa Assembly one day earlier.[1]
Attack
The activists of these organisations stormed the Odisha Assembly building through the main entrance. Sporting saffron headbands and chanting "Jai Sriram" and "Atal Behari Vajpayee zindabad", the trident- lathi-wielding men rushed inside, indulging in vandalism for over 30 minutes, beating every individual they came across, including Biju Janata Dal legislator Ashok Panigrahi and several journalists and policemen. They broke glass doors and window panes, smashed flowerpots placed along the corridors, and ransacked the library and the chambers of ministers. The security personnel posted in and around the high-security complex failed to control the mob.[1]
Aftermath
The day after the unprecedented attack on the Assembly the State government suspended 20 police personnel for dereliction of duty. Sixty-seven people, including Bipin Bihari Rath, Pratap Sarangi, who was the then State unit president of the Bajrang Dal, and nine women were arrested on charges of rioting, arson, assault and damaging government property. The attack on the Assembly has further weakened the BJD-BJP coalition arrangement in Odisha which finally ended in 2009.[1][2]