High alert in Bihar for Maoists' bandh over Nandigram issue

Patna, Nov 18 (UNI) The Bihar government has sounded high alert across the state in view of the 48-hour Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal bandh call given by Maoists to protest the Nandigram issue.

The state government put all police stations on high alert and the Superintendents of Police (SPs) had been directed to keep extra vigil on the Maoists' activities.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Anil Sinha said here today that the SPs had been instructed to enhance security around vital installations and public places, especially railway stations, bus stands and other such spots.

He said the senior police officers had been asked to ensure that no untoward incident occurred during the bandh, commencing from tomorrow.

Mr Sinha said additional police forces, including the State Auxiliary Police (SAP) and CRPF had been deployed in the naxal-dominated districts to foil the attempts of the extremists to enforce the bandh.

Apprehending attacks by the Maoists, intensive raids were being carried out in the extremist-dominated areas of the state.

State Director General of Police (DGP) Ashish Ranjan Sinha said the issue on which the Maoists had called for the bandh was not at all a matter of concern for Bihar as no Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were proposed in the state.

Mr Sinha hoped the bandh call would be non-violent in the state as Nandigram was a good distance away from here.

Meanwhile, the Maoists stated in a press release that they had called both for armed and unarmed struggle against the ''terror unleashed by the CPM cadres in Nandigram.'' UNI