Jharkhand: Maoists blow up rail tracks during bandh

Maoists on Wednesday fired on a patrolling party killing a policeman and blew up tracks disrupting rail service in Dhanbad district as the 24-hour Jharkhand bandh called by the banned CPI-Maoist got underway in the state.

The bandh, which began at post midnight on Wednesday is in protest against the reported arrest of Maoist cadres in neighbouring Odisha.

One policeman was killed and 15 others were injured when the Maoists opened fire on a patrolling party at Topchanchi near Grand Trunk road in Dhanbad district, about 210 km from Ranchi, Divisional Commander of the Railway Protection Force Shashi Kumar said.

He said the injured were admitted to a hospital in Dhanbad.

The rebels blasted railway tracks near Tetulmari in Dhanbad district, disrupting railway services for over six hours, he said and added the tracks were repaired around 7.30 am.

The Maoists also blew up the building of Hehegarha railway station and blasted a stretch of railway lines near the station in Latehar district, about 100 km from Ranchi, he added.