After keeping a low profile as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi resumed the sealing of unauthorised commercial establishments, traders in the capital on Thursday gave a call for a 24-hour 'Delhi Bandh' on Friday.
In the wake of the resumption of the sealing drive, traders' associations in Delhi held a meeting, deciding to call for a bandh in the city.
"We are calling for a bandh to protest against the repressive policies of the government and the unjust treatment meted out to the traders' leaders," said Ramesh Khanna, vice president of the Confederation of All India Traders.
He said the traders were anguished over the manner in which CAIT general secretary Praveen Khandelwal and other leaders were arrested on Wednesday. "They were not even shouting slogans. So why were they arrested," he asked.
Khandelwal and three other traders' representatives were taken into preventive custody yesterday as the MCD resumed its sealing operations. Khanna said all markets in the city, wholesale or retail, will remain closed on Friday.
The traders have planned to carry out a 'Shanti March' from Town Hall, the MCD headquarters, to the Vidhan Sabha to protest against the sealing action. "There will be no violence. Our protests will be completely peaceful," Khanna said.
The announcement of bandh by traders came as MCD continued with the Supreme Court-ordered sealing drive for the second day on Thursday. The sealing drive has so far been more or less incident-free, witnessing little protests from the traders.
