Sena shuts 500 shops selling meat products in Gurgaon

THE SHIV Sena has claimed that more than 500 shops across Old Gurgaon, including a KFC in Sector 14, were closed down on account of Navratri.

Party workers, in groups of about 50 people each, arrived at the shops and demanded that they shut the shops on account of Navratri and also asked them to remain shut on all Tuesdays.

Confirming this, Ritu Raj, media coordinator of the Shiv Sena, said, “Usually the shopkeepers close their stores themselves during this season but, last year, we noticed a lot of them did not do so. So we ran this campaign.”

Raj said notices had been sent to meat shop owners over the last three days, “requesting them to close their shops during the nine-day festival, and the drive was carried out on Tuesday to ensure they complied with the request”.

“Everything was done peacefully, and the shop owners complied with our requests willingly. There was no friction anywhere,” said Raj.

Meat shop owners, however, expressed their dissent at the move.

A meat shop owner, requesting anonymity, said, “We had no option but to close down because of the sheer strength of the opposite side. We will hold a meeting tomorrow and decide on the course of action. We may even file a police complaint regarding the matter.”

Commissioner of Police, Sandeep Khirwar, meanwhile, said investigations will be conducted when a complaint is filed. “We haven’t received any complaint yet. But we cannot allow people to close shops illegally,” said Khirwar.

“Everything was done peacefully, the shop owners complied with our requests willingly. There was no friction anywhere,” said Ritu Raj, media coordinator of the Shiv Sena