Guwahati, July 30 - A dawn-to-dusk general strike called by political and rights groups against the acquittal of a surrendered militant in the 1996 murder of a journalist brought life to a virtual standstill in Assam Thursday.

Shops, schools, financial institutions and business establishments remained closed, while public and private transport kept off the roads.

Attendance in most government offices was thin.

The strike that began 5 a.m. was called by the rights group Manab Adhikar Sangram Samity (MASS) to protest the alleged casual role of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that led to acquittal of one of the main accused in the murder of journalist Parag Kumar Das in 1996.