Chhattisgarh observes shutdown to condemn Maoist attack

The call for shutdown was given by the opposition Congress and was supported by several other social and trade bodies. Various shops and petrol pumps remained closed. The buses were also off the roads. The schools had been excluded from the shutdown because of the ongoing examinations.

According to reports, the shutdown got a good response in Naxal-affected Bastar region of the state as well.

Congress said people participated in the shutdown voluntarily and it reflected the resentment against the BJP government in the state.

State Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi alleged while the state government was apathetic towards the Naxal menace, some BJP leaders were actually in cahoots with the rebels.

Maoists ambushed a security team killing 15 personnel, including 11 CRPF men and also a civilian in a chilling reminder of the 2010 massacre of 76 security men in the same area in Sukma district.