Police today prevented Independent MLA Sheikh Abdul Rashid from staging a protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly against the stalling of the resolution seeking clemency for Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

The MLA along with his supporters tried to stage a sit-in on the main road outside the Assembly complex but was forcibly removed by police. Many of his supporters were also taken into preventive custody.

"Police claim I am a free man but I am not allowed to leave the (Assembly) premises (to stage sit-in outside)," Rashid told media persons as he tried to jostle his way out of the main gate.

The MLA accused all mainstream political parties of being hand-in-glove to "sabotage" the resolution.

The resolution , submitted by the MLA, was prevented from being taken up for discussion in the Assembly yesterday after pandemonium broke out leading to adjournment of the House without any transaction of business.

The resolution now lapses and cannot come up in the current nine-day Assembly session which ends next Tuesday.

While BJP demanded the "anti-national" resolution be dropped from the business of the House, Congress MLAs were pressing the Speaker to reveal the names of the BJP MLAs who were expelled or suspended by the party high command for cross voting during legislative council elections earlier this year.

Related report:

Cong MLAs stage walkout from JK Assembly

Ruling Congress MLAs, except the ministers, today staged a walk out from the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly demanding that the BJP members allegedly involved in cross voting during the Legislative Council elections earlier this year be suspended from the House.

The Congress MLAs walked out of the House as Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone refused to entertain their demand for suspension of the BJP MLAs who were expelled by their party high command for voting against the party nominee in the Council elections earlier this year.

The Speaker told the agitating Congress MLAs that since the matter was pending before the state High Court, he would not give a ruling on it before the court proceedings are over.

"I do not want my ruling on the matter to influence the court proceedings," he said.

Lone said the voting for Legislative Council elections was a secret ballot and at this time it would be difficult to ascertain who had cross voted. "It is a matter of probe," he added.

PDP MLA Abdul Rehman Veeri said a commission should be set up to investigate the issue of cross voting so that the names of beneficiaries should also be revealed.

Independent MLA Ashwini Sharma and National Panthers Party (NPP) MLA Harsh Dev Singh also demanded that a probe be conducted to identify the persons who induced cross voting from the BJP members.

"Those who got elected with these votes (from BJP MLAs) should also be suspended for the time being (from the Legislative Council)," Singh said.

The Speaker later read out the names of the MLAs who were expelled or suspended by the BJP. While Chaman Lal Gupta has been expelled from the party for six years, J R Sapolia, Gharu Ram, Bharat Bhushan, Baldev Raj, Durga Dass and Lal Chand were suspended.

Earlier, the Assembly had to be adjourned for 15 minutes after ruling Congress members disrupted the proceedings on the issue of cross-voting.

BJP leaders also protested in the House demanding that the Speaker reveal the names of the people involved in the 2006 sex scandal while Opposition NPP demanded the dismissal of the government, saying coalition partner Congress was protesting against its own government.

Earlier report:

Protests outside J-K assembly over Guru resolution

Independent MLA Engineer Rasheed, alongwith 200 supporters staged a protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir assembly demanding the passing of the resolution on a review of parliament attack conspirator Afzal Guru's mercy petition.

Some of the demostrators, including Rasheed, were later held by the police, as reported by newschannels.

The Jammu and Kashmir assembly was on Thursday adjourned for 15 minutes after ruling Congress members disrupted the proceedings on the issue of cross-voting by BJP MLAs during legislative council polls earlier this year.

BJP leaders also protested in the House, demanding that the speaker reveal the names of the people involved in the 2006 sex scandal while opposition Panthers Party demanded the dismissal of the government, saying its coalition partner Congress was protesting against its own government

Jammu and Kashmir assembly speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone had recently said that the seven BJP MLAs, suspended by the party for cross-voting during the legislative council polls, will continue as members of the house till the high court gives its verdict.

Seven BJP members were found to have voted against the party candidate during the legislative council elections.

While senior leader and former union minister Chaman Lal Gupta was expelled from the party, the other six MLAs were suspended. Gupta has moved the high court against his expulsion and disqualification notice sent by the party to the assembly.