SRINAGAR: Intensely heated scenes were witnessed in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today where a sitting minister and former speaker almost came to blows and a marshal was injured following the row over the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's remarks on Article 370.

As the legislators refused to maintain calm, pressing their demand that CM must make a statement on her remarks, Speaker Kavinder Gupta adjourned the assembly sine die, full seven days ahead of the scheduled closure date of February 7.

National Conference Working President and opposition leader, Omar Abdullah accused the government of hiding behind the Speaker. “Mehbooba Mufti’s govt hides behind the Speaker and gets him to adjourn the Assembly sine die a week ahead of schedule,” Omar tweeted.

Earlier, as soon as the House convened on Wednesday morning, the Opposition legislators led by Adbullah demanded that the Chief Minister should make a clarification on her remarks, reportedly expunged by the Speaker Gupta, that those who speak against Article 370 are anti-nationals.

Prevaricating on the issue, Gupta told the House that he had gone through the records and directed the House to resume the Question Hour. This infuriated the Opposition who started thumping the desks and tried to storm into the well of the House.

In the ensuing melee, a marshal was hurt when the legislators, while marching into the well, flung chairs and microphones towards the Speaker, who describes himself as a 'proud RSS man', accusing him of implementing the RSS agenda in Jammu and Kashmir.

As the din continued and the Opposition legislators refused to back down on their demands, forest minister and BJP leader, Chaudhary Lal Singh almost came to blows with National Conference's Akbar Lone, a former speaker of the assembly.

Later, the Speaker adjourned the House sine die while the Opposition continued with their protest even outside the assembly complex. The assembly was scheduled to run until February 7.

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