Fist fighting broke out in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to-day [March 26, Chandigarh] between Akali (Sant Group) members and Congress (R) members soon after the House had been adjourned till March 30. Sant Akali members continued to sit in the House in spite of its adjournment. Trouble started when one of the members belonging to this group, Sant Sadhu Singh, walked towards the Congress benches and sat there. Mr. S.S. Kairon and two other Akali M.L.As. followed him and tried to pull him back to Akali seats, but Mr. Umrao Singh (Congress-R) pushed back Mr. Kairon. The fist fighting followed. Congress Legislator Surjit Singh Atwal alleged that he and two party colleagues were beaten up by Akali supporters in the Vidhan Sabha lobbies as they were coming out of the House after its adjournment. He told UNI that the Congress Legislature Party had protested to the Speaker against the Akali assaults in the Assembly precincts and would apprise the Governor also of it. He mentioned Party Chief Whip Umrao Singh and Dr. Sadhu Ram as the other two members who were manhandled by nearly 50 slogan-shouting Akalis.
