'We're carrying out additional patrolling mainly in and around the forest terrains and railway tracks to prevent any untoward incident in the region,' a police official said.

Meanwhile, the shutdown was supported by the People's Committee against Police Atrocity (PCAPA) that is also demanding the withdrawal of troops from Lalgarh - about 200 km west of Kolkata.

The state government had launched a massive security operation June 18 to flush out Leftist rebels who had virtually made areas in and around Lalgarh a 'free zone' since November last year.

However, despite the nearly two-month-long security operation, Maoist activities have been going on unabated, with several members of the ruling CPI-M and tribals being killed branding them as police informers.