Maoists bomb train track in Jharkhand

CPI (Maoist) outfit members have detonated a bomb on the railway tracks in Jharkhand's Latehar district shortly after midnight on Saturday morning said Jharkhand police officials. A blast took place on the railway tracks between Richughuta and Demu stations around 12.30 am, reports said. The bombing is said to be in protest at the arrest of CPI(Maoist) leader Prashant Bose alias Kishore Da who was arrested by security officials last week along with his wife.

The Maoists had also called for a nationwide bandh following the arrest of Bose who had a bounty of 1 crore on his head following the masterminding of attacks in states like Jharkhand, Odisha, Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh over the decades. All the police stations in Palamu, Garhwa and Latehar districts under the Dhanbad Division of Central Eastern Railway have been alerted after the blast, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Palamu Range, Raj Kumar Lakra said as quoted by The Hindu.

Trains along the Barkakana-Garhwa route have been diverted and some bus traffic from the Medininagar to Ranchi areas has also been shifted to other routes security officials proclaimed. Special teams of Barkakana and Barwadih have reached the spot to repair the railway lines. No persons were injured in the attack although one trolley meant for a diesel engine was damaged according to ECR Railway spokesperson PK Mishra.

Maoist leader and politburo member Prashant Bose and his wife Sheela Marandi were captured by Jharkhand police and Army officials in an operation that took place on the Seraikela-Tata road in Jharkand on November 12. Bose's arrest follows that of Naxalite Commander Maharaj Pramanik who was arrested from Ichagarh in Seraikela about two months ago. Police recovered a stache of weapons ranging from guns to IUDs in various areas.