Maoists began their day-long bandh in Jharkhand on Monday by blowing up a railway track on the Howrah-New Delhi Grand Chord section, disrupting movement of several trains, including the Rajdhani Express.
Superintendent of Police (Railway), Dhanbad, Asim Vikrant Minz, said the track was blown up between Chichaki and Karmabad stations under the Dhanbad Railway Division around 12.40 a.m.
Several long-distance trains, including Kalka Mail, three Rajdhani Express trains, Hatia-Patna Express, Howrah-Dehradun Express were stranded, railway sources said. Many goods trains were also regulated at different places. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Dhanbad), A.K. Jha, said services on the route were restored after 7.40 a.m.
Vehicle torched
Railway officials and Railway Protection Force personnel from Hazaribagh rushed to the spot after the explosion.
In another incident, Maoists torched a vehicle at Dhawatand on Dumri road during the bandh, Giridih Superintendent of Police Akhilesh B. Beriar said.
They also set ablaze an earth moving machine of a contractor engaged in constructing a bridge over the Barakar river on the Dumri-Birni border in the district, sub-divisional police officer, Deepak Sharma, said.
A Lohardaga report said the bandh had evoked partial response as most of the shops and markets were open but long-distance buses did not ply.