Maoists strike in Jharkhand, Bengal; blast railway tracks, bridge

Maoists triggered a blast on a stretch of land along the railway track between Midnapore and Godapia Sal stations in West Midnapore district in the wee hours on Monday as the 48-hr bandh called by them began.

Maoists triggered a blast on a stretch of land along the railway track between Midnapore and Godapia Sal stations in West Midnapore district in the wee hours on Monday as the 48-hr bandh called by them began.

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The tracks were not damaged in the blast which occurred at Bhalukkhunia, District Magistrate N S Nigam said.

Following the blast, train services were disrupted on the stretch as checks were being carried out in the area, he said.

"Through such incidents, the Maoists are trying to divert the attention of the combined forces engaged in the combing operation to flush out Maoists from the Jangalmahal area", Nigam said.

The 48-hour bandh has been called by the CPI(Maoist) from today in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and three districts of Maharashtra to protest 'Operation Green Hunt' launched against them.