With the use of heavy machinery, the pet market in front of Data Darbar at Bhatti Chowk was demolished on Thursday morning. The market, which had operated for over three decades, was razed as part of an anti-encroachment operation.

The operation was reportedly carried out around dawn, with no prior notice, according to shopkeepers. Many of them said that they had no time to remove cash, goods, or animals housed in the market. They alleged that many of the animals died during the operation, buried under the debris.

Zaheer Ahmad, a shopkeeper, said that he had run his business in the pet market for the past 30 to 35 years. All traders were paying their rent regularly, he claimed, and possessed official receipts and documents, yet the entire market was demolished.

The shopkeepers had plead

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