The three-week-old agitation by gold and jewellery traders against tax hikes in the budget on Monday turned violent as they clashed with the Mumbai police and disrupted trains in Ghaziabad.
Traders staged dharnas in several parts of the country, including at Jantar Mantar in the national capital and at Zaveri Bazaar in South Mumbai.
They have been protesting since the presentation of the Union Budget, which proposed increase in import duty on gold from two to four per cent, imposition of excise on non-branded jewellery. Traders said the measures would result in to increased paperwork for them.
A clash leading to a lathi-charge was witnessed in Mumbai, while traders blocked several trains at Ghaziabad. Most of the jewellery houses in the country remained closed.
