A large number of traders of Delhi went on a 24-hour strike on Friday as the Supreme Court-ordered sealing of illegal commercial establishments in residential areas continued in the city.
Several shops and commercial establishments across Delhi downed shutters and traders were taking out protest marches and demonstrations against the Municipal Corportaion of Delhi's sealing drive, which continued in a posh south Delhi colony despite the strike call.
"The inhuman sealing drive is on under the shadow of carbines and guns. We are being treated like terrorists," Rajesh Ahuja, national secretary of the Confedaration of All India Traders, said.
The CAIT had given the strike call in protest against the "repressive policies of the government and the unjust treatment meted out to the trade leaders".
He said the traders were anguished over the manner in which CAIT general secretary Praveen Khandelwal and other trade leaders were arrested on Wednesday.
The traders are staging sit-in protests at Chandni Chowk and Khari Baoli areas of Delhi to protest the operation. They will be holding a meeting later in the day to decide the future course of action.
They have also planned to carry out a 'Shanti March' from Town Hall, the MCD headquarters, to the Vidhan Sabha.
Tight security arrangements were in place in Delhi in the wake of violence witnessed during the traders' strike on Tuesday. Besides Delhi Police, Border Security Force and Indo Tibetan Border Police personnel have also been deployed in the areas where sealing drive was on.
