By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – A heated confrontation erupted Monday in the Serbian National Assembly between opposition and ruling party MPs over a tragic railway station collapse that claimed 15 lives.
Opposition lawmakers displayed banners reading "Your hands are bloody" and "Corruption kills" in protest against the fatal incident as Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and his ministers arrived at the session, which was presided over by Speaker Ana Brnabic.
In response, ruling party MPs unveiled banners with the messages "Yellow gang, corruption and theft are your middle name," igniting a verbal exchange between the two sides.
The argument quickly escalated into a scuffle, with MPs throwing water at each other.
The parliamentary session was abruptly adjourned by Speaker Brnabic, with the live television broadcast cut off. However, the confrontation continued during the break before it was finally subdued by Brnabic and other MPs.
Reacting to the incident, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reassured citizens, saying:
"I want to reassure citizens and tell them that we will respond to their rudeness, ill-mannered behavior, and arrogance with even more work in the future. Today, they tried to prevent pensioners from receiving their increased pensions and public sector employees from receiving their increased salaries. They will not get away with it. Serbia will not stop."
The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad recently announced the detention of 11 individuals, including former Construction Minister Goran Vesic, in connection with the fatal railway station collapse.
Among those detained are Serbian Railways Infrastructure Director Jelena Tanaskovic, former director Nebojsa Surlan, and Assistant Minister for Railway Transport Anita Dimoski.
Vesic stepped down on Nov. 5 following public outrage over the collapse of a canopy at the entrance of Novi Sad Railway Station.
Foreign Trade Minister Tomislav Momirovic also tendered his resignation last Wednesday.
Momirovic previously served as minister of construction, transport, and infrastructure in Ana Brnabic’s government from 2020 to 2022, before assuming the role of internal and foreign trade minister.
The opposition continues to criticize the government for its handling of the railway station collapse, which occurred on Nov. 1, leaving at least 15 people dead and two injured.
Authorities have questioned at least 40 individuals amid allegations of negligence during repair work carried out at the station in 2021.