Bharat Bandh Today: Commercial Markets in Delhi to Remain Shut on Monday in Wake of Pulwama Attack; UP, Haryana Among Several States to Follow Suit

There will be no business activity, said the trade body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) spokesperson to ANI. 

New Delhi: In wake of Pulwama terror attack, all commercial markets including wholesale and retail will remain shut on Monday, February 18. There will be no business activity, said the trade body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) spokesperson to ANI.

Markets which are expected to remain shut in the national capital today includes- Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Karol Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Kamla Nagar, South Extension, Lajpat Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Preet Vihar, Shahdara, Gandhi Nagar, Khari Baoli, Kashmiri Gate, and Chawri Bazar.

Meanwhile, the states that will observe the bandh are- Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Jammu and Kashmir among others.

CAIT President BC Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal reportedly said that the traders will observe a day-long fast and will undertake candlelight marches across different states to pay tribute to martyrs. Besides, CAIT is also planning to raise funds for the families of the martyred Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans.

Earlier on Saturday, several states such as Karnataka, Gujarat, Jharkhand Maharashtra, Kerala, Eastern UP, Chattisgarh, and some districts of Himachal Pradesh had observed a day strike, following the attack.

At least 40 CRPF personnel were killed in one of the deadliest terror attacks in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir when a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into their bus last Thursday.

More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy of 78 vehicles when they were ambushed on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Latoomode in Awantipora in south Kashmir.