Maoists blow up tracks, school building

Khunti (Jharkhand), Feb 9: The third day of the 72 hour bandh called by Maoists in five naxal-affected states was marked with the blasting of railway tracks at two places in Jharkhand including the bombing of a school building.

Superintendent of police, Ravi Kant Dhan said that the railway tracks under Nimiaghat police station in Giridh district were blown up in the wee hours.

Speaking on the incident, Parasnath station superintendent Mritunjaya Kumar informed that trains have been stopped as explosions were heard around 2 am.

"Trains on this section have been stopped on both up and down lines," Kumar said.

Police said that Maoists also blew up three-meter stretch between Karmabad and Choudhary Bandh railway stations in Giridih district.

Several trains enroute Gaya and Mughalsarai have been stopped due to damage to the tracks, Dhanbad divisional railway manager, S Upadhaya said.

Meanwhile, the school building in Khunti district of Jharkhand too was blasted by the a group of armed Maoists.

Media reports quoted the superintendent of police, AB Minz as saying that before blowing up the school building, the rebels packed explosive on reaching the two-storeyed Project High School, late last night at Sodeh village.

The attacks came just hours before the home minister P Chidambaram's meeting with chief ministers of naxal-affected states.

OneIndia News