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Bandh: Markets closed, traders protest
Hundreds of traders and BJP leaders have been held by the police for protesting against the sealing drive.
Over 1,500 protestors including a BJP MP and six MLAs were detained after a clash with police outside the Delhi Assembly as traders began a three-day bandh in the capital on Monday against MCD's sealing drive, shutting down several major markets.
Hundreds of traders and BJP leaders gathered at the Vidhan Sabha on the first day of its ten-day Winter Session to protest against the court-ordered sealing of commercial units in residential areas, scheduled to resume on November 1.
Shouting anti-government slogans and sporting black arm bands, they blocked traffic on the ring road and those leading to the building for several hours besides pelting stones at police.
They later broke the security cordon and surged towards the assembly building as police used water cannons to disperse the unruly crowd. Five policemen were injured in the melee that ensued.
Apart from protestors, police detained BJP MP VK Malhotra, six party MLAs including Jagdish Mukhi and city unit President Harshvardhan, former union minister Vijay Goel and Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) General Secretary Praveen Khandelwal. They were let off later.
The protestors also burned the effigies of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy.
Normal life was also partially affected by the bandh with the DTC diverting several bus services to avoid trouble-prone areas and Metro suspending its operation between Kashmiri gate-Delhi University stretch for over six hours.
