Railway stations damaged during 24-hr Maoist bandh

Ranchi, Sep 23 (UNI) Train services between Mughalsarai and Gaya were disrupted after railway tracks were damaged by the CPI(Maoists) during the 24-hour bandh called by the ultras since midnight last night.

Railway officials said the tracks at Chengro halt under Dhanbad rail division were damaged and the cabin man was manhandled.

Reports from Giridih said police forces and railway officals had also rushed to the spot to monitor the situation.

In Palamu district, the building of Kajrat Nawadih station under Mughalsarai rail division of Eastern Central railways was also damaged in bomb explosion.

Acccording to reports from Daltonganj, the armed ultras attacked the railway station and manhandled the station manager late last night.

The police had rushed to the sopt and was invetigating into the matter.

The ultras had called a Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Bihar bandh in protest against the arrest of polit bureau members Tusharkant Bhattacharya and Brijmohan Rai by the Bihar police on September 19.

Police sources said a red alert had been sounded in the naxal dominated areas and special instructions sent to all the superintendents of police throughout the state.

Deputy Inspector General (personnel) R K Mallik said special care would be taken on rail routes and patrolling by Railway Police Force and Government Railway Police had been arranged at all stations, including Chandrapura and Gomoh to avert any untoward incident.

A report from Koderma said movement of heavy vehicles on the national highway had also been affected. Long distance buses remained stranded.

Railway sources said the Patna-Barkakan Palamu Express, Gomoh-Choupan-Chunar Passenger, Gomoh-Barwadih passenger, Gomoh-Mughalsarai passenger and, Barkakana-Mughalsarai passenger, Barkakan-Barwadih passenger, Barwadih-Dehri-on-Sone passenger and Barwadih-Chupan-Chunar passenger trains had been cancelled for today.

The routes of Howrah-Jabalpur Shaktipunj express, Ranchi-Benaras Intercity, Tata-Jammu Tawi express and Jharkhand Swarnjayanti had been changed, sources added.

UNI