All legislators of the CPI(ML) in Bihar were removed from the Assembly on Thursday for raising the issues of deteriorating law and order, rising communalism, corruption, mob lynching and atrocities on the Dalits.

One of the legislators later fell unconscious while demonstrating against the move in front of the Assembly.

The incident took place at the start of the Question Hour on the last day of the budget session.

The CPI(ML), which has 12 MLAs in the Assembly, moved an adjournment motion to discuss crime, corruption and communalism.

As Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha rejected the motion, the legislators trooped into the Well of the House and shouted slogans to denounce the chief minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the state.

The Left party MLAs also called for stopping the BJP and the RSS from spreading hatred among communities.

Sinha asked them to return to their seats but they refused and stayed put in the well. Sinha called the marshals and ordered them to physically evict the MLAs from the Assembly.

“Your behaviour indicates the lack of respect and trust towards the sanctity of the House. You deserve to be evicted,” Sinha said.

The marshals carried the CPI(ML) legislators out of the Assembly building and deposited them beyond its portico. The MLAs staged a sit-in there for around two hours under the scorching sun and accused the government of muzzling the voice of the people.

“There have been several murders across the state over the past 10 days. Leaders of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United (JDU) have been killed, a great great grandson of Veer Kunwar Singh, a hero of the 1857 war of Independence was shot dead in Bhojpur, women have been humiliated, the poor and the Dalits have been tortured and killed,” CPI(ML) legislature party leader Mehboob Alam said.

“Nitish Kumar used to claim zero tolerance for crime, corruption and communalism, but the entire state is trapped in the tentacles of a nexus of the police and criminals. BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh recently spewed communal venom in Begusarai. The chief minister is silently watching and tolerating everything. But the people of Bihar will not remain silent and launch an agitation from the streets to the House,” Alam said.

MLA Sudama Prasad fainted during the sit-in and was taken to a hospital in an ambulance. He is said to be out of danger.

Rural development minister and senior JDU leader Shrawan Kumar asserted that the “statistics showed that crime was well under control in the state and the district administration responded quickly whenever any crime occurred.”

On Wednesday, Speaker Sinha had ordered the physical eviction of MLA Akhtarul Iman, a leader of Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, for standing in the well of the House and raising the issue of river erosion in the state.