Kolkata, July 18 - A tribal group spearheading a protest against police excesses in Lalgarh in West Bengal has called a 72-hour shutdown in three Maoist-affected districts from Sunday to protest the state government's month-long operation against the rebels in the region.

People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) leader Lalmohan Tudu told IANS: 'Innocent people are being tortured every now and then in Lalgarh during the security forces' operations. People are fleeing their homes in fear of the security forces. Thus we've given a call for a 72-hour shutdown (July 19-21) in three districts.'

The shutdown has been called in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts.

Tudu charged that cadres of the state's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), backed by the police, were 'torturing innocent villagers in the name of the anti-Maoist operation'.

'The police and central forces have occupied all the school buildings in the area.