October 9, 1980, Forty Years Ago: Police In House

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on October 9, 1980.

The police and PAC entered the Vidhan Parishad in Lucknow to help the council guards eject members of the newly formed United Opposition Front (UOF). The House had to be adjourned four times for a total of two-and-a-half hours. One platoon of the PAC consisting of about 30 men, police superintendent S N Singh, with a posse of 13 policeman, six guards of the council and 18 guards of the the secretariat ejected the protesting members. The process came to a halt when Janata member Sarju Prasad became “unconscious” and had to be attended to by doctors. Members of the ruling Congress (I) sat silently watching the scene, as did members of the Lok Dal, whose de-recognition as the main Opposition party was being demanded by the UOP.

Indians Killed in Iran

Five Indian seamen were killed at Khorramshahr docks during fresh flare-up of fighting between the Iranians and Iraqis around the docks. The first engineer of a Romanian ship, Valentin, said that the seamen were killed by Iranian machine gunfire while they were trying to swim to safety across the Shatt-al-Arab from their ship, which came under attack last night. One survivor said he and 29 other crew members of his ship ‘Olaneste,. which was also attacked, reached the Iraqi side safely.

Besieged City

Iranian forces continued to hold out in the besieged town of Khorramshahr as Iraqi artillery maintained its steady bombardment of the battered city and the nearby blazing oil complex of Abadan. The crack of small arms fire could be beard from Khorramshahr. where Iraqi troops and tanks seized control of the important docks on the banks of the disputed Shatt-al-Arab waterway four days ago. But eyewitnesses said Iranian forces control pockets in the northern part of the town and most of the south side.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Opinion News, download Indian Express App.