Rail traffic was disrupted yet again as activists of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) damaged railway tracks and torched buses during their 48-hour shutdown of North Bihar on Thursday.
The bandh reportedly is being carried out in protest against alleged police attempts to thwart the actions of the Maoist-backed “Mahangai Virodhi Morcha”.
According to East Central Railway (ECR) Chief Public Relations officer Dilip Kumar, the rebels damaged two sleepers and removed at least 25 Pandrol clippers between Kurahni and Turki stations on the Muzzafarpur- Hajipur section of the ECR, paralysing rail traffic since morning.
Several trains including the Garib Rath, the Maurya, Vaishali and the Bihar Samparkkranti, and the Muzzafarpur-Hajipur passenger train remained stranded for several hours.
According to latest reports, the damaged portion has been repaired with rail services functioning as before.
Police sources said that the ultras had also torched a couple of buses in Saran district late on Wednesday night, leaving behind leaflets exhorting people to make the bandh successful.
Earlier ADG (Headquarters) P.K. Thakur said that separate police teams had been deployed at rail stations and bus stands as security measures were intensified in the wake of the shutdown.
Railway sources further said that all long distance trains will be escorted by pilot trains while directives had been issued to limit the speed of express and mail trains to 75 Km/hr.
