New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS): The crucial question hour had to be cancelled Wednesday as opposition MPs disrupted the Lok Sabha to protest the police crackdown on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers outside parliament the previous day.

As Lok Sabha members met a day after intermittent adjournments in the lower house, Speaker Meira Kumar made an obituary reference to pay tributes to former MP Shantilal Purshottamdas Patel.

As soon as the speaker called for the first of the listed questions, BJP MPs were up on their feet demanding a statement from Home Minister P. Chidambaram to explain why their party workers were cane charged.

AIADMK's M. Thambidurai asked a question related to nuclear energy safety in India and before Minister of Science and Technology M. Narayanasamy could answer, BJP members shouted slogans against the government.

Amid the din, Meira Kumar adjourned the house till 12 noon.

Police had Tuesday chased away activists of the BJP's youth wing demonstrating at Jantar Mantar to press for Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's resignation over Commonwealth Games irregularities.