Karnataka   

Bandh call by ‘naxalites’ evokes partial response

Ganesh Prabhu

Normal life not affected; buses did not ply on the Bajagoli-S.K. Border route

On alert: Tight security arrangements were seen at S.K. Border in Udupi district on Thursday on account of a bandh call given by ‘naxalites’.

Bajagoli (Udupi District): The bandh called by ‘naxalites’ on Thursday in the Kudremukh National Park area, which includes the Bajagoli-S.K. Border stretch of National Highway 13, evoked partial response.

Except for private and Government buses which did not operate on this stretch, life was normal.

In Bajagoli village, business establishments, post office and banks functioned normally. Local buses, except those going towards Sringeri and Kudremukh on NH-13, functioned as usual.

The weekly market at Bajagoli functioned normally but the number of people who visited it was relatively small. There was police presence in the village. Small shops were open at Muloor-Mala village where a check post of the Kudremukh Wildlife Division is located. A police van and a few police jeeps were present. A tourist bus and some private vehicles were seen going from Muloor-Mala to S.K. Border. A mobile police patrol was seen escorting a private tourist bus from Muloor-Mala to S.K. Border.

There was massive police presence at S.K. Border which is situated at the border of Udupi and Chikmagalur districts. S.K. Border is 68 km from Udupi.

Several police vans and jeeps were stationed here. Vehicles were being checked at Muloor-Mala and S.K. Border. Superintendent of Police A.S. Rao inspected the security arrangements.

Speaking to presspersons at Muloor-Mala, Dr. Rao said that some private bus operators from Chikmagalur had voluntarily stopped their services. Hence private buses were not plying on the Bajagoli-S.K. Border route. Business establishments were functioning normally. Mobile police patrols were escorting the vehicles, he said.

Since most of the Anti-Naxal Force had been diverted to Chikmagalur district, the entire Bajagoli-S.K. Border route was being policed by the Udupi District Police, he said. There was no information about any naxalite movement from Sringeri in Chikmagalur district to Udupi district. There was information about movement of a naxalite team near Kollur in Udupi district about a week ago. A few tourist buses had plied on the Bajagoli-S.K. Border route, Dr. Rao said.

Chikmagalur correspondent writes:

The bandh call given by “naxalites” in the Kudremukh National Park area on Thursday evoked poor response.

The authorities had made massive security arrangements in the sensitive areas to ensure that normal life was not disrupted. Vehicles plying on the roads leading to Bijagoli from Sringeri and Kalasa were escorted by police patrols. Schools, post offices, banks and government offices in the area functioned as usual.

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