Raipur, Oct 2 Thousands of policemen and paramilitary troopers were relocated in Chhattisgarh's restive Bastar region Friday to strengthen security in vulnerable forested areas ahead of the Maoists' nationwide strike called Saturday.

Amid a spree of Maoist violence in recent months in Chhattisgarh, state police and paramilitary troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were moved to key areas and government buildings Friday in Bastar region. Jagdalpur, the main town in the region, is
about 300 km from state capital Raipur.

"Security has always been in top gear in Bastar's districts -- Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kanker and Bastar -- but it has been further boosted with relocation of policemen to strategic areas in wake of Maoists' strike call," Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) T.
J. Longkumer told IANS.

The 40,000 sq km Bastar region is described as epicentre of Maoist violence in India. It has witnessed some 1,500 killings of policemen, civilians and insurgents since 2004.

Maoist guerrillas had stunned the political fraternity in the state last week when they opened fire in full public view at the two sons of Bastar Lok Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party senior tribal leader Baliram Kashyap, at a temple in Bastar district. One of them
succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

Security has also been strengthened in Raipur. All VIP locations, key government buildings such as state secretariat and police headquarters, ministers' bungalows and the legislators' rest house were put under a security blanket following intelligence inputs that rebels
have a plan to strike in the state capital. (IASM)