Bharti Wal-Mart's plan to open its first cash-and-carry store in the country at Amritsar on Tuesday has been postponed because of law and order problem in Punjab following violence sparked by killing of a Dera leader in Austria.
"Due to the situation in Punjab, Bharti Wal-Mart is postponing the launch of its cash-and-carry wholesale store 'Best Price Modern Wholesale'," the company said on Monday.
A new date will be announced shortly, it added.
Bharti Wal-Mart Pvt Ltd, the 50:50 joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and the US-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc, had planned to open 10-15 cash-and-carry stores in India by 2015.
The company had last year announced that its wholesale stores would be opened under the brand name of 'BestPrice Modern Wholesale' and each store would have a size of 50,000-1,00,000 square feet.
Tension flared up in Jalandhar and other areas in Punjab late Sunday evening following reports of attack on Sant Niranjan Dass, the head of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, and his second in command Sant Ramanand in Vienna, Austria.
Violence spread to more parts of Punjab and Haryana on Monday as protestors resorted to large-scale arson, prompting authorities to call out the Army in Jalandhar city and neighbouring areas and impose indefinite curfew there.