After MP L Rajagopal used pepper spray against some of his fellow MPs in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, outraged public have stormed Twitter with the hashtag #PepperSpray.
The hashtag topped in all India trends on Thursday, and it is also the top most trending topic across all major cities except for Hyderabad, where it is trending below #Telangana #Parliament #Lok Sabha and #MPs.
The country's media are in a frenzy after the incident, with many outlets calling it a "shameful day". Times Now have urged the viewers to tweet their reactions using the hastag #RowdyMP, while also calling the MPs "goons". Bold uppercase headlines have been blaring with questions like "Should President dissolve the Parliament?" and "Should the PM resign?"
Following are the most notable Twitter reactions to the grave incident:
1. A user with the Twitter handle @Babu_Bhaiyaa said, "Dear China and Pakistan, U don't need to launch Nuclear weapons to create chaos & havoc in Indian Media & Parliament. A #PepperSpray is enough."
2. "Sanjay Jha ji should also use #PepperSpray during Arnab's Newshour," he added later.
3. BJP MP Anurag Thakur tweeted: "Disgraceful act by CongMP L Rajgopal, who used pepper spray. Civility in the House absent. Cong making a joke of democracy."
4. News channel Aaj Tak was concerned about the safety of Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar. It posted a picture of the cricketing legend and Bharat Ratna winner sporting a gas mask - just so that he can be safe.
5. A tweet from the handle @pankajmishra23 read: "@ArvindKejriwal is responsible, as Aam Aadmi produced pepper!"
6. Faking News responded with a picture of a Google Doodle with the speaker, Meira Kumar sporting a mask. "Google Doodle pays tribute to Indian parliament #PepperSpray," it read.
7. A user with the handle Avadhoot Patwardhan said: "After passing #PepperSpray bill today in parliament, the #Pepper prices sky rocketed and Pawar is happy that his will impact Agriculture"
8. Another user with the name Gulaab Gang said: "Looks like the parliament is finally taking Women safety and empowerment seriously!"
9. "RahulG on Parliament Ruckus: #Pepperspray is a powerful weapon to empower the women," said Yo Yo Diggy Singh.
10. An individual called Kapil said: "Recipe for a perfect 'Democracy' - Parliament + MPs + a Pinch of Pepper! #Pepperspray".
Google Doodle pays tribute to Indian Parliament #PepperSpray pic.twitter.com/VJ2WntkMJs
— Faking News (@fakingnews) February 13, 2014