By IANS
Raipur : A weeklong strike launched by Maoist militants in Chhattisgarh's insurgency hit Bastar region from July 28 has completely paralysed life in the area but there has been no violent incident so far, police said Tuesday.
"The strike by Maoists to celebrate their martyrs week has crippled life since July 28 mainly in the interiors of Kanker, Bijapur, Dantewada and Narayanpur districts as transporters have kept vehicles off the road while civilians are hardly seen moving out from their houses," a police officer told IANS.
He added that security forces have been deployed in thousands near government installations to counter any violence by Left Wing extremists during the Maoist martyrs week that will end Aug 2.
Maoists had called for a martyrs week to commemorate their commanders who were killed during in recent gun battles with the police.
Forces in the entire Bastar region have been put on high alert with vigilance stepped up at iron ore rich mining pockets in Dantewada's Bailadilla Hills where India's largest iron ore producer and exporter National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (NMDC) has three major mining facilities.
Maoist rebels, also known as Naxalites, claim to fight for the rights of poor peasants and landless labourrers and run a parallel government in the interiors of the Bastar region spread across nearly 40,000 sq km.
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