Chhattisgarh police on Monday arrested seven members of a civil society group in the restive district of Sukma, south Bastar and were jailed under the draconian Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act.

Those arrested included two lawyers, a student, two journalists and a couple of tribal rights activists. The members hail from Telangana were reportedly visiting the strife-torn Bastar zone to study and inquire into the existing ground reality.

However, the Chhattisgarh police allege that based on the intelligence inputs the group members were "engaged" in suspicious activities and put on surveillance.

All the seven were produced before the Sukma district court, where their bail applications were rejected. They were sent to jail.