5 September, Friday: On the last day of the special assembly session, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly was brought to chaos as BJP MLAs caused a ruckus during Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's speech on a resolution denouncing so-called atrocities against Bengali-speaking migrants.
The commotion started when the BJP chief whip Shankar Ghosh interrupted Speaker Biman Banerjee's address, asking him why Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari had been suspended for the session. When the Speaker remained silent, BJP members broke into a slogan-chorus, disrupting Mamata's address.
A shouting match soon escalated, and Mamata called out her own Trinamool Congress MLAs to strike back: "They are disrupting my speech … when the BJP MLAs speak, you people should also disrupt them."
The House descended into a fifteen-minute shouting match with slogans, as both sides shouted "Chor, Chor" ("Thieves, thieves"). Speaker Banerjee directed Ghosh and Agnimitra Paul to be suspended, and marshals were summoned when Ghosh refused to vacate the premises. The violence intensified further as BJP MLA Mihir Goswami blocked the entrance, which led to a fight between the marshals and legislators.
Shankar Ghosh fainted and accused the police of causing him unease in the midst of the chaos. He was rushed out by marshals and eventually hospitalized. BJP MLAs Bankim Ghosh, Ashok Dinda, and Mihir Goswami were also suspended soon after. Bankim Ghosh, who had already had a heart-stent operation, is said to have fallen ill during the free-for-all.
Despite constant interruptions and storming of the Well of the House by both sides, Mamata went on with her speech. She even rose from her seat at one point to admonish her own MLAs, letting them know that she would request suspension from the Speaker if order was not maintained.
In her speech, Mamata launched a scathing attack on the BJP. She blamed it for reviving CAA and NRC before Bengal's upcoming Assembly poll, labeling the party "anti-Bengali" and blaming it for insulting Bengalis.
She shouted, "Modi is the largest thief. Modi thief, BJP thief," and claimed that the BJP was attempting to silence her - "If they behead me, I will still speak up for Bengali.
Outside the House, BJP members accused the Speaker and TMC of bias and harassment. Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari described this as "the darkest day in the history of Bengal's legislature" and complained that Ghosh was taken sick due to the brawl.
