Scores of shopkeepers on Wednesday protested in Kheunusa village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, alleging that the administration was unnecessarily “harassing us when the village has no positive COVID19 case”.
Around 50 shopkeepers assembled near Khunesa Chowk and protested lockdown orders imposed from the past four days.
“It has been four days that our shops are closed when the village has no COVID19 positive case,” Mohammad Shafi Lone, a shopkeeper said.
He added that 20 days back some eight villagers tested positive who have even recovered and are back home but the admin wasn’t allowing them to open their shops.
Shafi alleged that the sudden move from the administration has surprised them. “When abundant cases were coming from the village, the admin was lenient and risked our lives by not implementing the lockdown. Now out of the blue when no lockdown was required the admin was unnecessarily harassing us,” he alleged.