People protest outside Gautam Nagar police station:Councillor says cops’ action on firecracker vendors spoiled festival for poor residents in city

A dispute broke out in the Gautam Nagar police station area on Sunday, a day before Diwali. Police seized firecrackers from street vendors in the Nariyal Khede area, leading traders to protest strongly outside the police station. The crowd raised slogans, saying, “Police, your hooliganism will not be tolerated.” Small shops face police action According to information, some families in Nariyal Khede had set up small shops selling light firecrackers like sparklers, anar (flower pots), and zafrani (small crackers). These shops were set up for just two days on the occasion of Diwali. The police seized goods from these shops and took action. Councilor criticizes police move Local councilor Manoj Rathore said, “These are all small street vendors. They did not have any bombs or heavy firecrackers. Each shop had goods worth only two to five thousand rupees. The police unnecessarily seized seven shops and registered cases.” Action sparks local resentment Rathore said that if the police are taking action, they should do so uniformly across the entire city; why is only one area being targeted? He said that after the seizure, local councilor Devendra Bhargava also reached the spot and spoke to the officials at the police station. Currently, the seized goods are kept at the police station. It was informed that further proceedings would be completed by the court on Monday. This action, taken just before Diwali, has caused great resentment among poor shopkeepers.