Shopkeepers from Avenue Road and S P Road were forced to down their shutters yesterday for Grama Devata Pooja celebrations, causing them to incur major losses as a result.

Over 700 shops in Avenue Road and S P Road area were forced to shut down for the whole day yesterday, as a mark of respect to a religious celebration in the vicinity. The Dharmaraja Temple, a 50-year-old establishment, issued instructions to the Shopkeepers Association in the area asking them to shut shop for Grama Devata Pooja.


Forced holiday! Shopkeepers alleged that goons pelted stones at their
shops when they tried to open them in the afternoon and even
threatened them with dire consequences. Pic/Satish badiger

But shopkeepers, who stayed home for the entire day, unhappily claimed that they had lost about Rs 34 lakh in just one day. The president of the area Shopkeeper's Association D Kamal said, "The temple sent us a letter over the weekend informing about the celebrations and telling us to shut down for a day. We held a meeting, but none of the shopkeepers were willing to shut shop and so the temple agreed to let shops open for half a day."

However, things went out of hand when some shopkeepers opened in the afternoon. "We have faced huge losses and moreover, there was rampant goat slaughter in the area from early in the morning. In spite of the High Court order stating that slaughter of animals in commercial and residential areas was to be strictly avoided. The slaughter continued without a care for the sentiments of others," he said.

Cops unaware?
When contacted, officials from the Dharmaraja Temple refused to comment, claiming that they had informed the shopkeepers about plans well in advance. Shopkeepers on the other hand claimed that goons were sent to their shops and stones were pelted when they tried to open their shops in the afternoon.

"They had distributed pamphlets informing us to shut down a day before. When we protested, some goons pelted stones at our shops and forced the shutters down. We tried to get police support, but the cops refused point blank, as they did not want to get into any sort of religious conflict," said Samir Jain, a shopkeeper from S P Road.

Another shopkeeper from the area, Tarun Jain complained, "The annual turnover from this area alone exceeds Rs 10,000 crore. Within a day we have lost a lot of business and our regular clients are upset. When we protested, some goons told us that they would chase out of the state and warned us with dire consequences if we continued to protest."

Meanwhile, Inspector for law and order from the Halasuru Gate police station, H S Parmeshwar feigned
ignorance on the matter. "We have been out on the streets and our team has been regularly patrolling the area. No issues from the area have come to light, nor have the residents officially complained to us about this," he said.