Medicine traders end strike

VARANASI: After three days, business at Saptsagar Mandi (the biggest wholesale market of medicine in east UP) normalised on Saturday when the traders opened shops after deciding to end their stir.
The three associations of medicine traders had given the call for indefinite closure of the Saptsagar Mandi after trader Gopal Pandey and two others were shot at by miscreants four days back.Pandey was attacked after he refused to pay extortion to a gangster. The traders had threatened to intensify their stir in case of delay in the arrest of assailants.
But, before they could hold a meeting to finalise future strategies on Friday evening, DIG DK Thakur held talks with the association leaders. He shared with them the progress in investigation and also assured to provide proper security cover to the traders who had been receiving calls for extortion. After that the traders decided to postpone their stir. But, they said the market would be closed at 6 pm.