Maoists continue attacks on last day of bandh

Rourkela (Orissa), Aug 25 (PTI) Continuing with their
attacks on the second day of their 48-hr bandh, Maoists
Tuesday blew up a railway station in Sundergarh district in
India's eastern state of Orissa, abducted three railway
employees and blasted a mobile tower and a community hall in
neighbouring states of Jharkand and Bihar.

More than 20 heavily-armed ultras exploded powerful
explosives at the Roxy railway station in a remote place in
the K Bolang police station area in Sundergarh district after
asking the employees to vacate early Tuesday morning, police
sources said.

They then set ablaze 15 heavy vehicles parked near the
small railway station through which mainly iron ore is
transported to the Rourkela Steel Plant.

The rebels also abducted three persons including the
station master, police said.

In Jharkhand, the banned activists blasted a mobile
tower in Lali village of Latehar district. This was the third
mobile tower to have been attacked by the Maoists in the last
two days.

On Monday, they destroyed two mobile towers in
neighbouring Palamau district.

In Bihar's Aurangabad district, at least 100 armed
extremists raided Irki village near Deo police station and
detonated dynamites to blow up a community hall, ADG (HQ)
Neelmani said.

Police in Ranchi said a group of Maoists set four
trucks on fire near Taimara Ghati, about 50 kms from Ranchi,
for defying the bandh.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (South Chhotanagpur
Ranchi), R K Mullick, said the ultras stopped the trucks
plying on the route one-by-one and set them ablaze.

A top Maoist leader had said Monday that while Orissa,
West Bengal and Chhattisgarh were to be exempted from the
purview of the shutdown Tuesday, the bandh would continue in
Bihar and Jharkhand indefinitely till their arrested rebel
leaders were produced in court. Police has denied that they
have arrested two naxal leaders.

ADG Neelmani said in Patna that a high alert had been
sounded and strict vigil was being maintained in the bordering
areas of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Police has intensified patrolling on the national
highways, the ADG said. Most private operators suspended their
bus services from Patna to Ranchi, Hazaribagh, Jamshedpur,
Daltonganj, Bokaro in Jharkhand.

Several trains passing through Bihar from Jharkhand
and West Bengal started running behind schedule, railway
sources said. PTI TEAM