Speaker to hold inquire into brawl in Parliament

16 January 2018 10:12 am Views - 3251

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya is expected to hold an inquiry into the brawl between government and the joint opposition parliamentarians on January 10, Parliament sources said yesterday.

They said the Speaker had decided to hold an inquiry because some MPs have accused him of being responsible for the brawl while some MPs were of the view that such a brawl would not have occurred if he suspended sittings and convened a party leaders meeting, which the Speaker had done amid the melee.

Party leaders who met on January 9 had decided to meet on the following day to decide on the course of action to be taken on the Bond Commission report which was expected to be tabled in Parliament that day.

A similar inquiry was held after a scuffle that took place in Parliament in 2016 and two MPs -- Palitha Thewaraperuma and Prasanna Ranaweera being suspended after they had exchanged fisticuffs inside the chamber. (Yohan Perera)