Maoists blast mobile phone tower in Bihar

Patna: Maoists blew up a mobile telephone tower in Bihar's Lakhisarai district Thursday to enforce a 24-hour strike called by them to protest against the alleged killing of their members by security forces, police said.

A police officer said a dozen of armed men used dynamite to blow up the tower of a private telecom operator at Mananpur area in Lakhisarai, about 140 km from Patna.

According to police officials in Jamui district, Maoists also torched a private vehicle.

The Maoist strike call evoked mixed response in the state. Normal life was hit in some rural areas but urban areas were largely unaffected.