Maoists blow up railway track in Bihar

PATNA - Maoists blew up a railway track in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district and set ablaze the machine room of a mobile tower in Gaya district early Tuesday to enforce a two-day strike, police said.

The rebels blew up the railway track near Sakra railway station in Muzaffarpur district, about 70 km from here. Sakra is situated on Samastipur-Muzaffarpur rail route of East Central Railway.

The incident disrupted rail traffic on the route and repair work was being carried out, an official said.

In the second incident, Maoists set on fire the machine room of a private mobile tower at Amas bazaar in Gaya district, about 100 km from here.

The rebels also thrashed a security guard of the mobile tower when he resisted their bid to blast the tower, police said.

Maoists called a 48-hour shutdown Monday in seven states to protest the killing of their leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad on the night of July 1-2 in Andhra Pradesh.

The call by the Maoists evoked a mixed response in Bihar as urban areas remained unaffected but normal life was hit in villages.

An official of the state home department said the shutdown call had evoked no response in Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Purnea. But it has affected life in Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Arwal and Gaya districts, which are considered Maoist strongholds.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) P.K. Thakur said an alert has been sounded across the state.

“All police stations in Maoist affected districts have been put on maximum alert and police officials have been asked to remain extra vigilant,” he said.