Mayurbhanj bandh to protest Mahto's assassination

Baripada, Mar 6 (UNI) A dawn-to-dusk Mayurbhanj bundh was observed today as a mark of protest against the assassination of Jamshedpur MP Sunil Mahto at Baguria village in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district on Sunday.

JMM Mayurbhanj district unit President Bhadhav Chandra Hansda claimed that the bandh affected life at many places.

The party, however, had kept local bus service and other essential services outside the purview of the bandh so that the examinees of the ongoing +2 examination will not face any problem.

Mr Hansda said the state and central government offices, banks, commercial and business establishments were closed during the bandh.

The movement of vehicular traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway 5 and Mumbai-Kolkata National Highway 6 passing through the district came to a grinding halt during the bandh period.

Official sources said no untoward incident was reported from any part of the district.

Meanwhile, the district authority has sounded red alert and beefed up security all along the Orissa-Jharkhand borders adjoining Mayurbhanj district following the killing of Mr Sunil Mahto.

Mayurbhanj Superintendent of police Ravi Kant said combing operations had been intensified with round-the-clock vigil at the Orissa-Jharkhand borders in a bid to prevent infiltration of CPI(Maoists) activists into the district.

UNI