India's West Bengal state was paralysed on Wednesday by a strike protesting against the police killing of five demonstrators who took part in an anti-unemployment rally, officials said.
The day-long strike, called by a member of West Bengal's ruling Marxist coalition, was the latest challenge to the government of the impoverished state, which has been rocked by violent protests since early 2007. Demonstrators in state capital Kolkata blocked roads and appealed to people to support the shutdown, shouting: "Make the strike successful. Protest against the communists' misrule."
The five demonstrators killed Tuesday in northern Dinhata town, 600 kilometres (372 miles) from Kolkata, were all activists of the Forward Bloc, a minority partner in the state's nine-party ruling coalition, police said.
In several parts of the state on Wednesday, supporters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which leads the ruling coalition, fought street battles with Forward Bloc supporters. Shops and other businesses were closed along with schools and colleges and public transit came to a halt across the state.