Thursday's train accident which killed two and injured 55 others was culmination of series of similar attempts by the Maoists in the past which were foiled, police said today. Eight bogies of Tata-Bilaspur passenger derailed here last night.
"The Maoists had attempted to target passenger trains many times in the past. The police have found explosives from tracks several times," Deputy Inspector General (Chhotonagpur range) RK Mallik told PTI.
Only a fortnight ago at Simdega, the police found a bomb planted under railway tracks forcing the authorities to detain Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express at Bano for hours.
The Maoists twice laid siege on passenger trains in the past in Jharkhand. They took over the trains in Latehar in 2006 and in April this year before letting off the passengers unharmed.
In neighbouring West Bengal, a Maoist-backed tribal organisation had laid siege on the Rajdhani Express for about seven hours in West Midnapore district last month.
"But after yesterday's incident, the CPI (Maoist) is no more than a killer outfit," observed Kartik Kumar, one of the lucky passenger to have escaped unhurt in yesterday's derailment.