Punjab, Dec 7 (ANI): The Punjab shutdown called by the major Sikh outfits began on a peaceful note today. The Sikh outfits are protesting the killing of Darshan Singh, a demonstrator who lost his life in the alleged police firing in Ludhiana on Saturday (December 5).

The radical Sikh outfits have asked all the shops of the city and near by areas to remain closed during the entire shutdown.

The shutdown has been peaceful till now, with no unpleasant incident reported from anywhere claimed an official in Chandigarh.

Educational institutions have also been closed in Ludhiana and the near by areas due to the shutdown.The university officials said that due to the shutdown, examinations at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Panjab University, Punjab Agricultural University and Punjabi University, Patiala, have been postponed.

The police had to open fire at the protestors who were pelting stones at them. The radical Sikh outfits were protesting against the arrival of Ashutosh Maharaj, a religious leader of Divya Jyoti Jagran Sansthan who was to address his followers in Ludhiana. (ANI)