KOLKATA, Aug 21: Businesses were shut and all but government vehicles off the roads on Thursday in Kolkata as leftists staged a general strike to protest a hike in electricity and other charges.

Police were deployed in force throughout the city and the rest of West Bengal state. Pollice baton-charged protesters in a number of skirmishes around Kolkata, although there were no reports of serious injuries.

Nearly 1,000 people were arrested when they tried to obstruct traffic on the roads and disrupt trains on the tracks, said West Bengal Police Inspector General Chayan Mukherjee.

Schools were closed and Kolkata commercial hub, known as the Esplanade, was deserted as most stores kept their shutters down. Private transport companies also took part in the strike and there were few passengers on public transport.

“More government buses plied on the roads today to maintain the traffic network in Kolkata ... but most vehicles ran empty,” said the province’s transport minister, Subhas Chakraborty.

The 24-hour strike was called by the left-wing Socialist Unity Centre of India to protest a decision by the state government — itself led by Marxists — to raise electricity tariffs and tuition fees for state colleges. —AFP