Jewellers threaten to go on indefinite protest

In protest over the daylight shooting and robbery of a jeweller in Noida’s Sector 12 on Thursday, jewellers in the city have decided to shut shops indefinitely if

In protest over the daylight shooting and robbery of a jeweller in Noida’s Sector 12 on Thursday, jewellers in the city have decided to shut shops indefinitely if the police are unable to solve the robbery and shooting case in the next 48 hours.

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The armed men on a motorcycle had shot and injured the 45-year-old jeweller and fled with the gold the man was carrying.

“We are shocked by this incident as criminals have no fear of police. They shot at jeweller and decamped with gold on Thursday afternoon from a crowded market spot that is just 100 metres from a police station. If the police will not solve the case and arrest the criminals in the next two days, the jewellers of the city will shut shops in protest. After two days, if the police are still unable to solve the case, then we will call a statewide protest by shutting our businesses indefinitely,” SK Jain, founder of All India Jewellers and Goldsmith Federation, said.

Anguished by the incident, jewellers and traders sat on a protest outside the Sector 12 shop, where the crime took place and demanded better security for traders and merchants.

They claimed that criminals have no fear of the police as there is no proper patrolling in the city’s markets, where jewellers are doing business.

“We had to end our protest on Thursday after the police assured us that they will solve this case and arrest the suspects in the next two days. If the police will not solve this case in the next 48 hours, we will have to shut shops in all markets of Noida. The entire trader community is in shock as we feel that we are not safe in our shops,” Ashok Chauhan, a trader leader, who sat on the protest soon after the incident, said.

Jewellers and traders said the police are not taking effective steps to provide safety to them.

“We have always demanded police patrolling every two hours in market places where jewellery shops are located. But the police hardly do any patrolling,” Jain said.

Jewellers in Lucknow have decided to meet the director general of police to seek better policing in Noida.

“The police are not interacting with jewellers and other traders to step up security. Now we demand that the police start interacting with us and take steps to restore faith in the police,” Shekhar Soni, a jeweller, said.

Additional deputy commissioner of police Ranvijay Singh said, “We are working on this case to arrest the criminals, who are involved in this incident.”