Khan Market in Delhi was closed on Saturday as traders cited fears of damage to shops, vehicles and property during a protest by the CJP, while the market association appealed to political parties to hold demonstrations away from busy commercial areas.
Khan Market Traders Association president Sanjiv Mehra said the closure was decided by the traders themselves. He said the market is among the first commercial areas to be affected when protesters are stopped nearby, increasing concerns about possible damage to shops and property.
The closure brings the operational vulnerability of Delhi’s high-footfall markets into focus during public demonstrations. Mehra said businesses in Khan Market, Connaught Place and South Extension continue to incur major expenses, including rent and employee salaries, even when shops remain shut.
According to his statement, a single day of closure can cause a loss of between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh per shop. He also pointed to the additional risk faced by businesses dealing in perishable goods, including fruits and groceries, where unsold stock can add to the financial impact of a shutdown.
Mehra urged political parties to reconsider how and where protests are organised. He appealed for peaceful demonstrations to be held away from busy commercial zones so that public protest does not disrupt businesses or expose shops, vehicles and property to risk.
The association’s vice-president, Brij Gopal Khosla, said frequent protests were affecting business operations and making it increasingly difficult for traders to manage rent and employee-related expenses. He said Khan Market remained closed because shopkeepers did not want to take risks amid fears of violence or damage.
Khosla also said the administration had issued a warning that tensions could rise, after which the market association decided that shops should not open. The supplied report does not provide details of the warning, including the issuing authority, its precise wording or the period for which it applied.
The reported shutdown also reflects the immediate economic consequences of disruptions around commercial districts. Unlike offices or businesses that may shift some operations online, shops dependent on physical footfall can lose sales for the entire period of closure while continuing to pay fixed costs. The association’s estimate places the direct daily exposure at the individual-shop level, although the total loss for the market was not provided.
The report also said that shops in Delhi’s Bhagirath Palace market in Chandni Chowk were closed on Saturday. It separately noted disruptions to train services and traffic on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway, including congestion around the Rajokri and Aya Nagar borders, but did not establish whether those disruptions were directly connected to the Khan Market closure.
The traders’ association has called for peaceful protests to be conducted away from commercial areas. Further details on administrative restrictions, the duration of the protest-related disruption and the reopening of Khan Market were not provided in the report.
