Naxals attack Jharkhand CRPF camp, encounter still on

Ranchi, Apr 23 (ANI): A few hours before polling for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections began today, Naxals struck a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp and blew up a railway station in Jharkhand.

According to police, the Naxals attacked the CRPF camp in West Singhbhum District.

The gunbattle between the militants and the security personnel is still on, official sources informed.

The rebels also bombed the outer cabin of a railway station here. The police is unable to detect the whereabouts of the cabin man and porter since then.

The police further revealed that Naxal rebels have also blasted a road between Giridih and Dumri and cut trees to block it to prevent the people from voting.

On Wednesday, the Naxals took 700-800 people hostage as they were travelling in a train from Barkana in Jharkhand to Mugalsarai in Uttar Pradesh. The Naxals had taken the train to the Latehar Railway Station.

They released the passengers more than four hours later.

The second phase of polling is underway in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand.

Previously, the Naxals had disrupted the first phase of the five-phased general elections.

On April 16, the Naxals had struck at 14 places, killing at least 16 people. (ANI)