A shutdown was observed in large parts of the Jungle Mahal on Friday following a call by Maoists, prompting the Bengal government to reassess the situation in Jhargram, West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura districts which make up the region.

Reports from the districts suggested that most pockets of the Jungle Mahal wore a deserted look from Friday morning, which indicated that people at large did not want to take chances and preferred staying indoors. The impact was maximum in Jhargram, where three blocks, including Jhargram, witnessed a total bandh-like situation, said a police source.

“The people of the Jungle Mahal do not want to take chances with the Maoists as there had been instances of the insurgents attacking people defying their diktat.… This fear had vanished in the past few years. We need to assess why people chose to play it safe this time and stayed indoors,’’ said the senior police officer.

The Maoists had called a strike in the Jungle Mahal on Friday to protest the state government’s move to appoint former Maoists as junior constables or special homeguards. The posters that were put up in different parts of the four districts claimed that their former comrades were ‘‘criminals’’ and also bore threats that those not observing the strike would be killed.

‘‘The government’s move had weakened them as the carrot of government jobs brought so many of the insurgents back to normal life... Now that the Maoists are trying to regroup, they have made it a point to terrorise people as part of their strategy to recruit youths from villages,’’ said a political observer.

State police tried their best to foil the shutdown. For instance, Bankura police undertook a confidence building drive and sent policemen to traders to convince them to open stalls or shops with the assurance of protection. The impact of the measure was partial, said a source.

A police source said the impact in Jhargram was the maximum because of the recovery of a landmine from Belpahari of Jhargram on Thursday evening.

“The landmines were part of Maoist activities till 2010 when around 600 people, mostly ruling party leaders, were killed. We have to check whether the landmine was newly set up or had been planted 10 years ago,” said a police officer in Jhargram.

Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, used the partial response to the strike to attack the state government and tweeted pictures of deserted streets of Jhargram.

“The empty roads and closed shops across Jhargram district can be construed as a yardstick to grade the deteriorating law and order situation in WB…..” he tweeted.