Security was heightened in Chhattisgarh Wednesday as the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) announced that it would boycott and disrupt Republic Day celebrations, police said.
"Police and paramilitary forces have been relocated to forested areas which are Maoist strongholds and are vulnerable to attacks. Also, extra troopers have been deployed in and around key government installations," a senior official at Raipur police headquarters told IANS.
Security had also been beefed up at the residences of the chief minister and ministers, the governor house and the state secretariat.
Chhattisgarh is one of the worst insurgency-hit states of the country. However, the state has surprisingly reported no major Maoist violence in the past four months; 19 of its 27 districts are bracketed as Maoist-hit.