Jeypore (Koraput): The Jeypore Chamber of Commerce has called for a 12-hour bandh in the town on Saturday, from 6 AM to 6 PM, alleging that a gold trader’s death was caused by persecution from the GST department.
At a press conference held at Nehru Nagar in the town at 5:00 pm today, the Chamber has requested all commercial establishments, including small shops, market complexes to remain closed for 12 hours. However, all public and private institutions, including schools and colleges, will remain open, and vehicles will operate as usual, according to Chamber President B Prabhakar.
The deceased, P Hari Prasad, a prominent gold merchant in Koraput district, died three days after GST officials raided his shop during Dhanteras. He fell ill during the raid on October 29 and was hospitalized.
Later, he passed away on Friday morning due to a heart attack. Family and friends claim that mental harassment by GST officials led to his untimely demise, questioning why his shop was specifically targeted on Dhanteras.
