Bhopal lodges protest against Bangladesh Atrocities
Prominent markets remained closed for most part of Wednesday
Bhopal
Registering protest against a spate of attacks targeting minority Hindus in Bangladesh, thousands of people rallied at the Bharat Mata square in the state capital on Wednesday before submitting a memorandum to Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Singh.
Every day life remained fractured as shopkeepers at prominent markets downed shutters to express solidarity with the protesters.
Chowk Bazaar in the old city, remained shut till 4 PM. Vishnu Mehra, a local businessman, said, “Theeast we can do is support the protest.”
New Market also felt the effects, with shops opening only after 4 PM. Dharmendra Patel, a trader said national unity must take precedence over business concerns.
“In business, profits and losses are part of the deal, but for us, the country comes first. That’s why we fully support the protest,” he said.
As businesses remained closed, the streets witnessed a dip in traffic. Few vehicles plied between the extremely busy Raja Bhoj Setu to the Royal Market area in the old city. Emergency services weren’t affected, as all the medical stores remained open.
Paresh Upadhyay, lecturer, took half-day leave from work to join the protest. He said, “Just as soldiers defend the country, we must come forward to defend our religion. I strongly oppose the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh.”
By afternoon, several businesses resumed work, and traffic too returned to normal. Protest leaders said that the city had registered its anguish against the violent attacks against Hindus in the neighbouring country.
