After radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa’s call for the shutdown to mark the 30th anniversary of the Army attack in 1984 at Darbar Sahib and Akal Takht Sahib, at least 70 per cent of city’s commercial outlets remained closed on Friday.
A few people were even seen forcing shopkeepers to close their shops but were nabbed by the police in the Hall Gate area. Security has been heightened outside the Golden Temple complex after the incident.At least 1,500 anti-riot police were deployed in several places in Amritsar in the wake of a bandh call given by Dal Khalsa.
“The motive to give call for Amritsar bandh is to protest against the killings of hundreds of innocent pilgrims, the loot of invaluable holy books, manuscripts and arte-facts from the Sikh Reference library and to recall and relive the pain and agony of the heinous army attack besides paying tributes to all martyrs and innocent persons killed in the dastardly inhuman action of the state,” said Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh.
Police in a precautionary has detained Kanwar Pal Singh along with his one hundred activists to avert any unwanted situation in the city.