2 days after 'forced' shut down, meat mart re-opens

Two days after the "forced" closure of their shops and restaurants, traders at meat market are back in business again.

On Wednesday around 8 pm, a group of restaurant owners had approached the police, seeking protection from members of some right-wing outfits, who had warned them against selling non-vegetarian food during Navratri.

Reportedly on Tuesday, some men claiming to be members of Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal had forcefully shut more than 300 meat shops at various places in Gurugram, including a popular KFC outlet.

The famous meat market of Old Gurugram's Sadar Bazar, which remained shut for two days, finally re-opened after police personnel assured the traders of protection and deployed a PCR van near the market.

"We have suffered a lot in these two days. We thought it was enough and asked the police to step in," Mohammed Tahir, Pradhan, Chief of the meat market, said. Meanwhile, the market witnessed a huge crowd as many of its regulars returned.

SHO Navinder Singh told DNA: "We have assured the traders of safety and our personnel are constantly checking the status."

Earlier, the traders had claimed that they shut their shops willingly for the sake of harmony. It was only later that they revealed that they were threatened. "That time we were under pressure. Being in minority, we had to bow down," trader Rahat Quereshi said.

No case has been registered against any of the Right-wing outfits, so far.