Naxals set buses ablaze in Chhattisgarh

Jagdalpur, May 21 : Naxalites set ablaze four buses near Birla village last night as Communist Party of India (Maoists) sponsored two day bandh began today in tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

The Maoists call for the Bastar Bandh to protest against the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, which they termed a draconian law, and against the 'Salwa Judum'-the ongoing anti-naxalite movement in Bastar.

Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) T J Langkumer said the Naxalites intercepted four buses which were on way from Hyderabad to Bailadila late last night between Dornapal and Erabor.

All the passengers were asked to disembark and later the buses, including two of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), were set on fire.

He said patrolling has been intensified in all sensitive areas and security arrangements tightened in and around the relief camps set up by the state government to provide shelter to nearly 45,000 people who had fled from their villages because of threat from the Naxalites.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has given a call for road blockade across the country on June 14 and 15 to highlight what they allege are atrocities by police, para-military forces in tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

Reports received at the district headquarters here said the CPI (Maoist) Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee have put up posters at some places appealing to the people of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra to join the road blockade agitation to raise their voices against ''atrocities on poor tribal people of Bastar.'' UNI