Maoist strike hits road, rail services in Jharkhand

RANCHI - Road and rail services were badly affected in Jharkhand due to a 48-hour strike called by Maoists that began Tuesday, officials said.

The national highways wore a deserted look and no long-route buses plied in many parts of the state. Life came to standstill in many districts like Gumla, Latehar, Khuti, Chatra, Palamau and Giridih, among others.

As a precautionary measure, railway authorities cancelled five train services and diverted the routes of six others. Trucks were stranded at many places due to the strike and buses didn’t ply either in many areas.

“We stopped the movement of buses as a precautionary step. There are recent examples of Maoists attacking passengers travelling in buses during a strike period,” said Ramdev Yadav, a travel agent at a Ranchi bus stand.

The pro-Maoist Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) and its militant wing have called for the 48-hour shutdown in five states, including Jharkhand, to mourn the recent killing of their supreme commander Sidhu Soren in a shootout in West Bengal.