I n a bid to tighten security arrangements at the state Legislative Assembly, MLAs’ cars would be checked at the entry gate of the house. With the beginning of the Budget session in the Assembly on and from Monday cars of the Speaker and all MLAs will be pasted with stickers each. No MLA will be allowed to enter into the Assembly premises if his or her car does not have the sticker.

A police officer in the rank of an officer-in-charge (OC) will also be deputed to monitor security issues inside the assembly house throughout the year. Today, MLAs cars were checked by police personnel at the entry gate of the house. Following the incident of the Parliament security breach on 13 December in 2023, the Speaker Biman Bandyopadhay along with the police decided to strengthen security arrangements in the House and its premises.

“There will be no compromise with security issues at the Assembly,” Mr Bandyopadhyay said. Earlier on 14 December, a day after the Parliament breach incident, Mr Bandyopadhyay had held a high-level meeting with security personnel and other senior officials of the Assembly for more than an hour and decided to restrict entry of visitors to the house.

According to the meeting, MLAs, media persons, employees of the Assembly and visitors would have to enter into the House showing their identity proofs issued by the Assembly authorities. Web cams will also be installed at the south and west gate of the Assembly to take photos of guests of MLAs and other visitors.

The photos would be fixed with the visitors’ cards. “We have decided to impose some restrictions on entry of MLAs and their guests from now on. MLAs will enter the Assembly through south gate (main) while their guests accompanying them will use west gate,” the Speaker had told reporters after the meeting, adding, “In a bid to prevent the Parliament-like incident in our Assembly, we took some strong security measures.”

Every visitor would be allowed to spend inside Assembly premises for a maximum two hours and a security pass would be issued to visitors mentioning the maximum time limit, it was decided in the meeting. “All employees and visitors are strictly checked by security personnel at the gate every day. Besides the existing security arrangements, I may also talk to the police commissioner if anything more in connection with strengthening of security status is required,” he had told the media.