Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Friday that personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force were rushed into the Rajya Sabha well to stop Opposition leaders from protesting.

“We are astonished and shocked,” said Kharge, the leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, in a letter to Harivansh, the deputy chairman of the Upper House of Parliament.

He said the personnel had rushed to the well to stop Opposition protests on Thursday as well as Friday. “This is most objectionable and we condemn it unequivocally,” the Congress leader said.

His letter added: “We expect that in future CISF personnel will not come trooping in the well of the House when Members are raising important issues of public concern.”

Sharing the letter on social media, Kharge’s party colleague Jairam Ramesh said the MPs were seeing the “takeover of the chamber” by security personnel after the “sudden and unprecedented” resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The vice president is also the Rajya Sabha chairperson.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju refuted the Opposition’s allegations, stating that the security arrangements were made as “some MPs went aggressive”, reported ANI.

“It was parliament members’ demand to increase security, therefore CISF was deployed,” Rijiju was quoted as saying by the news agency. “Inside the house, members have sometimes physically taken a stand atop the treasury table and near the well.”

The minister stated that security was deployed to prevent such action and that no MP would be stopped from speaking.

“Marshals and security inside the House will not take any action till the time MPs indulge in something malicious,” said Rijiju.

The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Friday amid protests by Opposition leaders on the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.

Some members reportedly entered the well of the House and shouted slogans against the exercise.

The Opposition parties have been demanding a discussion on the exercise and its withdrawal since the Monsoon Session of Parliament began on July 21.