The 627 UP Barkakana-Dehri- Mughalsarai (BDM) passenger train, hijacked by Naxals, was released around 11.50 pm this noon after over four hours of detention and high pitch drama at Hehegara railway station in Jharkhand’s Latehar district.
 
The train has now reached Daltonganj station on its way to Mughalsarai via Dehri and Sasaram.
 
“All passengers are safe. The train will soon start its onward journey for Mughalsarai,” Station Superintendent of Daltonganj told Hindustan Times.   
 
The train was overpowered by the local villagers and a group of armed Maoists around 7.30 am at Hehegara railway station and released at 11.50, the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), East Central Zone, A K Chandra told.
 
 The Maoists took the train into hostage to protest the recent killing of five villagers at Barhania village by the CRPF. The Maoists has given a call of Bihar Jharkhand bandh on Wednesday to protest the killing of villagers that took place in retaliation of a landmines blast in which two CRPF jawans were killed on April 15, a day before the first phase of polling in Jharkhand.
 
Reports said, the Maoists agreed to released the train after administration assured the villagers that trains on that particular section would not run during the 24 hour bandh call given by the Maoists.