A two-day bandh called by Maoists in six States, demanding a probe into the death of one of their leaders, began on a violent note on Monday. Maoists killed two policemen in Chhattisgarh, five CPI(M) supporters in West Bengal and a chowkidar in Jharkhand.
Maoists attacked the Bhejji police station in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh and shot dead two policemen, after an exchange of fire, police officials said.
At Nachupatina village in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, Maoists shot dead five CPI(M) supporters. The five persons that included four of a family were dragged out from their homes and killed.
The mother of one of the victims was injured when she resisted the Maoists.
In Jharkhand's Garhwa district, Maoists shot dead chowkidar Rajeshar Paswan at Panchadumar, the police said. A note found near the body claimed that Paswan was a police informant.
Maoists blew up a stretch of rail track near the Karmavad railway station in Giridih district of the State in the early hours of Monday. The blast damaged the wheels of a goods train, Dhanbad Divisional Railway Manager A. Upadhaya said in Ranchi.
Maoists burnt an earth-cutting machine at Sahapur in Hazaribagh district, the police said.
The bandh was called in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, besides Gadchiroli, Bhandara and Chadrapur districts of Maharashtra and Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh.
Top Naxal leader Cherakuri Rajkumar alias Azad was killed in a police encounter in July in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh
