The Odisha Assembly was the scene of high drama on Tuesday as 12 Congress MLAs, including the party’s Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam, staged a protest in the well of the House. According to news agency PTI, the Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) refused to vacate despite being suspended for seven days owing to "indiscipline." They demanded the formation of a committee to investigate crimes against women during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s rule in the state after it won the assembly polls eight months ago.

Speaker Surama Padhy announced the suspensions in the afternoon, but the defiant legislators continued their demonstration, prompting her to request the marshals to persuade them to leave before adjourning the session for the day, PTI reported. Senior Congress member Taraprasad Bahinipati, one of the two MLAs who escaped the suspension, stated, "We have decided to spend the night in the well of the House and continue to demand the formation of the committee. Let them throw us out using marshals or the police. We are not scared."