Maoists damage rail tracks in Bihar

PATNA - Maoist guerrillas damaged railway tracks in two places in Bihar, resulting in four coaches of a train being derailed and disruption of traffic, officials said Friday.

The Ballia express was derailed early Friday near Hajipur, about 30 km from here, when Maoists damaged the railway track, during their 48-hour strike imposed after police foiled a Maoist-backed outfit’s public meeting, railway officials said.

No casualties were reported, Sonepur Divisional Railway Manager R.K. Agrawal said.

“The derailment disrupted traffic and railway officials were trying to resume it,” he said.

In the other incident, Maoists blasted a track near Mansi railway station in Khagaria district, about 170 km from here, late Thursday.

Police said the track was blown up and train services were hit for hours.

The police had allegedly prevented members of the Mahangai Virodhi Morcha, a pro-Maoist group, from organising a public meeting against price rise April 30 in Muzaffarpur.

Additional security personnel had been deployed in Maoist-affected districts in view of the strike, Additional Director General of Police P.K. Thakur said.