Traders to protest outside IT office on Tuesday

Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, February 23

City-based traders are up in arms against the investigation wing of the Income Tax Department after the department conducted raids at three wholesale cloth shops in Bhadaur House.

They have decided to stage a massive protest outside the outside the office on February 26.

Traders have demanded that the department should withdraw FIRs that have been registered against 13 shopkeepers for abusing and issuing threats to the raiding party.

A meeting in this regard was held on Saturday, in which traders and businessmen from different trade organisations were present.

After the meeting, Tarun Jain Bawa, president of Bahadur-ke-Road Textile and Knitters’ Association, said traders from different associations across the city would be holding massive dharna outside the Kitchlu Nagar office of the Income Tax Department and will also put a lock outside the office.

“We will also be carrying polish along with us, so that we can blacken the faces of officials for creating fear among traders,” he said.

Sunil Mehra from Punjab Beopar Mandal said the department instead of having a friendly approach was threatening members of the trade and industry. Earlier, this happened at Bahadur-ke-Road and now here.

“It seems the inspector raj is back again. Why is the department creating fear in the mind of traders? It should adopt a friendly approach, so that people also co-operate. But instead the officials are working according to their whims and fancies,” said a cloth retailer.

What made them angry

• In October 2018 the police had booked 43 persons for manhandling the IT team after they went for a survey on a garment manufacturing company at Bahadur-ke-Road.
• On Friday (February 23), the police had registered a case under Sections 323 and 186 of the Indian Penal Cde  against 13 shopkeepers of the AC market, as the team was manhandled when it went to conduct a raid.

Their demands 

• Withdraw FIR against 13 traders 
• IT team should go for raid only after specific information
• The department should take general secretary or president of related trade association along while conducting raids 
• If the department has to conduct any inquiry regarding any case from a person, then instead of conducting raids at his work/residential premises, he/she should be called at the office, as it creates an environment of fear around and also tarnishes the reputation of trader concerned.