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Maoists blow up rail tracks

Patna/Ranchi: The Maoists on Wednesday blew up rail tracks in Bihar’s Saran and Muzaffarpur district and shot at a truck driver in neighbouring Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district during their 24-hour ‘Bharat Bandh’.

The ultras blasted the down line between Badagopal and Avtar Nagar stations under Sonepur division of East Central Railway around 6-30 a.m., hitting train services on the Delhi-Guwahati route, railway sources said.

The Naxalites also planted a bomb on the up track which did not explode and was later defused, chief public relations officer of ECR A.K. Chandra said.

Railway sources said the engine of Muzaffarpur-Narkatiaganj passenger train was derailed after the Maoists blew up a two-metre portion of the tracks between Mehsi and Mahwal stations in Muzaffarpur district.

There was no casualty.

Following the incidents, several trains including Muzaffarpur-Delhi Lichchwi Express, Darbhanga-Delhi Sadbhavna Express, New Delhi-Guwahati Avadh Assam Express and Gorakhpur-Muzaffarpur Inter-City Express were stranded at various stations.

In Dhanbad district in Jharkhand, members of the proscribed outfit, opened fire on a truck at Topchanchi injuring the driver, Dhanbad Superintendent of Police Sheetal Oraon said.

The Maoists also fired on another truck carrying livestock in the same area resulting in its engine catching fire.

The driver and the livestock were unharmed.

The SP said the bandh has not affected normal life in Dhanbad as shops remained open and normal traffic plied on the roads.

On Tuesday evening, the outfit’s members blocked the Hazaribag-Bagodar NH-100 for three hours asking drivers and shop keepers to support the shutdown.

Railway sources said, passenger trains on the Barkakana-Garwah road route under Dhanbad division were cancelled today as a precautionary measure.

Goods train on the route were running with police escort, the sources added.

The bandh evoked partial response in the Naxal-pockets of Hazaribag, Chatra, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, Palamau and Latehar districts. -- PTI

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Maoists blow up rail tracks

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