Maoists blow up rail track in Jharkhand

Ranchi, Apr 16: Maoists blew up a four-meter-long railway track in Jharkhand's Giridih District today and later called for a 24-hour shutdown to protest the killing of eight rebels by security forces in Garwah District earlier this month.

About 20 Maoists blew up the railway track between the Hazaribagh Road and Parasnath Railway stations at around 2 a.m.

The blast affected railway traffic on the Grand Chord section of Jharkhand, the main line that connects eastern and northern India. Eight trains have been cancelled while seven have been diverted, railway officials said.

Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts of the State. Since Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, 614 civilians and 290 security personnel have been killed in the state in Maoist related violence.

ANI