Rautahat Chamber of Commerce and Industry has enforced a shutdown of Gaur Bazaar indefinitely from today protesting police high-handedness.

Issuing a statement today, the Rautahat CCI argued it had to resort to the bazaar shutdown after police started unnecessarily hassling traders.

“As police wouldn’t stop their high-handedness and continued to seize goods and commodities legitimately bought even from the district headquarters, we had to resort to the shutdown,” said Rautahat CCI Chairperson Pandit Jayasawal. “While goods and commodities worth a huge amount are being smuggled from India, the police are hassling traders who are conducting fair business,” he said, citing seizure of goods of a number of traders in Ishanath, Baudhi Mai and Paroha municipalities from Gaur despite being in possession of legitimate purchase documents.

Rautahat Police SP Kedar Dhakal, however, accused the traders of raising the issue and resorting to shutdown.