Delhi sealing drive: Traders call for complete shutdown, all shops to remain closed today

Delhi traders have called a proposed 'Bandh' on Tuesday to protest against the sealing drive in the national capital. Traders from posh market areas including Connaught Place to Asia’s largest marketplace Sadar, will close their shops to protest against the ongoing sealing.

“Not even a single shop owner will open his shop in Delhi-NCR on Tuesday, every corner of the Capital will remain shut,” said Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

The Supreme Court (SC) had earlier ordered to seal the shops for 'misuse of premises'.

On March 8, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation carried out a sealing drive to seal the shops in the Old Double Story area of Lajpat Nagar over the 'misuse of premises'. 

The traders protesting against sealing drive in the Lajpat Nagar market were allegedly beaten up by a Delhi Police force that was deployed on the spot to seal the shops for “misuse” of premises. 

The police resorted to lathicharge after scores of traders gathered to stop the sealing action being taken by the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee in the Old Double Storey (ODS) market located in Amar Colony in Lajpat Nagar-IV. 

According to the local traders association, a number of shop owners were injured in the police crackdown, while one of the traders, Gautum Baweja, received serious head injuries after which he had to be taken to the hospital. 

Traders also alleged that additional deputy commissioner of police Amit Sharma, leading the teams, slapped one of the employees of a store. 

“My employee Parvez was slapped by the additional DCP while he was protesting outside the shop. There was no reason for a senior police officer to raise a hand on a worker. We also requested the personnel to verify our shop documents before shutting it down, but they did not even listen to us and started using force,” said Kamal Chawla, who owns a garment store.  This was not all. While press photographers present on spot caught Sharma’s act on camera, police personnel directed by their senior caught two of the four photo-journalists and snatched their cameras. 

“While the two photographers managed to flee, the police caught two print media photojournalists and snatched their camera asking them to delete the pictures on the spot.