Maoists blew up a railway track in Latehar and bombed a mobile tower in the neighbouring Palamu district during a 48-hour bandh they called in five States, including Jharkhand.
Train services were disrupted on the Barwadih-Barkakana route.
About 20 ultras blasted the track between Kumundi and Hehegarha railway stations, about 150 km from Ranchi, Latehar station master P.N. Tiwari said here. This was after the Rajdhani Express crossed the spot at 5:30 a.m.
In a separate incident in neighbouring Palamau, the Maoists blew up a mobile tower early on Monday. About 50 armed Naxalites reached the tower situated on the Aurangabad-Medininagar route in the district.The blast left a big crater.
The CPI (Maoist) said in a release that they had enforced the two-day shut down in Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh following the arrest of two of its senior members a couple of days ago in Bihar. — PTI
States put on alert
Vinay Kumar reports from New Delhi
The Union Home Ministry on Monday asked five States to maintain utmost vigil against possible attacks by left wing extremists on vital installations during the 48-hour, Maoist-sponsored bandh, beginning Monday.
Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal have been asked to tighten security, especially around vital installations, a senior Home Ministry official said here.
’The Maoists have called for the bandh in these States to condemn the alleged arrest of two senior members of the CPI(Maoist). Sources, citing intelligence inputs, said the Maoists might target railway, telecom, road networks and power stations.
The advisory came shortly after the Maoists blasted a stretch of rail line at Latehar and a cellular phone tower at Palamau in Jharkhand on Monday.
