Maoist bandh in Chhattisgarh meets lukewarm response

A bandh called by naxals on Thursday in protest of last week's Basaguda encounter in Chhattisgarh has evoked a mixed response in those parts of the state that fall under Dandakaranya region, barring a few incidents, a senior police officer said.

Train services on Kirandul-Visakhapatnam section were affected last night after naxals allegedly damaged railway track in Dantewada district to mark the bandh, Bastar SP Badriprsad Meena said today.

"A group of Naxalites struck at Patapur near Bacheli in Dantewada district and uprooted a portion of railway track. The railway started the repair work immediately and restored the traffic by late night," he said.

The bandh was called to protest last week's Basaguda encounter in which at least 20 naxals were allegedly killed in an encounter with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Bijapur district of Bastar region.

Six CRPF troopers, including two CoBRA commandos, had sustained bullet injuries in the gun-battle on June 29.

According to Meena, the impact of bandh could be felt mostly in the interior areas of naxal stronghold of Bastar, while normal life in other parts is not affected.

He said no untoward incident has been reported so far.