SPRINGFIELD -- Although Shiva Ayyadurai was not on the stage for Sunday's debate between Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republican Geoff Diehl, supporters of the independent U.S. Senate candidate made their voices heard.

More than halfway through the hour-long debate between the incumbent senator and Whitman state representative, a group of audience members disrupted the televised forum to vocally question why Ayyadurai was not part of the debate.

The debate resumed following a brief pause, in which security personnel escorted the individuals out of the television studio.

Another man was removed shortly after for again speaking out about Ayyadurai.

Ayyadurai is on the November ballot, but did not meet the Western Massachusetts Media Consortium's eligibility rules for participating in the debate.

He protested his exclusion from the first U.S. Senate debate on Friday by sitting down in front of Warren's SUV, Statehouse News reporter Matthew Murphy tweeted. He was then removed by police.

Ayyadurai has also filed suit against the University of Massachusetts, claiming it barred him from the late October U.S. Senate debate.

Diehl, in response to reporters' questions, would not say whether he believes Ayyadurai should have been on the debate stage, offering that it was not his decision to make.

"It's not up to me to decide who comes to debates and I certainly have done everything I can to be a part of the political discussion in Massachusetts during this campaign," he told reporters. "Whether media outlets want to allow him to be a part of it, is really not my choice."

This story will be updated.