Kolkata, July 8 (IANS) Houses of seven Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) members and supporters were set ablaze by Maoists in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district on day two of a shutdown called by the rebels to protest the killing of one of their top leaders.
A group of heavily armed Maoists raided the house of a former village council chief at Salboni town and set it on fire early Thursday, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Aneesh Sarkar.
Later, the rebels torched the houses of a local committee member of the CPI-M and of five party supporters.
However, there were no casualties as the CPI-M leaders and supporters had left their houses apprehending trouble during the shutdown.
The shutdown, called to protest the killing of Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad in Andhra Pradesh, crippled life in Jhargram district, with buses and other vehicles keeping off the roads, and shops, markets and government offices closed.
‘But there has been no breach of peace. We have taken all security measures,’ Jhargram Superintendent of Police Praveen Tripathy told IANS over phone.
In Bankura, the shutdown affected areas like Sarenga and Barikul.
In Purulia, some villages were adversely hit. Road traffic was stalled and shops and markets were closed, said Superintendent of Police Rajesh Yadav.
