Delhi traders have asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to stop protests, sit-ins and political marches near major markets until Diwali, claiming that an earlier demonstration caused business losses of about ₹2,000 crore across the capital.
The request was made by the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) in a letter to Shah ahead of a proposed protest march by a group identified in the report as CJP. CTI said demonstrations during the festive shopping period could disrupt customer movement, create traffic congestion and reduce sales at markets that depend heavily on Diwali demand.
The traders’ organisation specifically raised concerns about Connaught Place, Janpath and Khan Market in New Delhi. According to CTI, these commercial areas could face access problems if demonstrations or marches take place nearby. The organisation said road restrictions, crowd movement and congestion could prevent customers from reaching shops and affect deliveries and daily commercial operations.
CTI said it had calculated the loss from a protest held on October 10 at approximately ₹2,000 crore. The report does not provide an independent assessment, details of the methodology used to arrive at the figure, or a separate response from government authorities. The amount therefore remains a claim made by the traders’ body.
The organisation described Diwali as the most important trading period of the year for shopkeepers and retailers. It asked the Home Minister to impose restrictions on demonstrations in Delhi’s markets and commercial centres until the festival ends, arguing that this would allow customers to shop without disruption and help businesses maintain normal operations.
The demand places a public-space and governance question alongside the immediate commercial concern: how demonstrations can be managed in dense commercial districts without blocking access to businesses, disrupting traffic or restricting lawful public activity. The source report, however, does not state that the Union government or Delhi authorities have accepted CTI’s demand or issued an order restricting protests.
The report also does not provide details of the proposed CJP march, including its route, expected attendance, police permissions or any traffic-management plan. It records CTI’s appeal for intervention but gives no response from the organisers of the proposed protest. Any restriction would therefore depend on an official decision and the administrative arrangements announced by the relevant authorities.
For traders, the immediate concern is maintaining customer access during the Diwali shopping period. For city authorities, the issue involves coordinating demonstrations, policing, traffic movement and the functioning of commercial streets. The next confirmed development is whether the Home Ministry, Delhi Police or another competent authority responds to CTI’s request or announces arrangements for the proposed march.
