Naxalites strike again, this time in Maharashtra

A group of armed Maoists stopped a Mumbai bound goods trains and set it afire, reports Pradip Kumar Maitra.

The Naxalites of CPI(Maoist) strike again! A group of armed Maoists stopped a Mumbai bound goods trains between Bortalao and Darekasa railway stations in Gondia district, bordering Chhattisgarh, on Sunday and set it afire.

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According to reports reaching Nagpur on Monday, around 50 masked Naxalites stormed the area and forced one Mohd Salim, the gateman, to give them the signal light and red flag. As the goods train approached, they flashed the red light, bringing it to a halt.

After stopping the train, the ultra leftists asked the train driver, RN Gajbhiye, his deputy, Subbarao and the guard, MR Lajrath to get down. They, reports said, first tried to blow up the engine by using dynamite. When they failed to trigger the blast, they doused the engine with kerosene and set afire.

One side of the engine was totally damaged. The train was on its way to Mumbai from Raipur, via Nagpur.

This is a major Naxalite attack on public property. Earlier, the Maoists tried to torch a passenger train near Ballarshah in Chandrapur district, bordering Andhra Pradesh.

The Naxalites pasted posters near the railway crossing and called a bandh in Gondia, Gadchiroli and Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on December 15 in protest against the police access in the region.

Meanwhile, the inspector general of police (IGP), anti-Naxalite cell, Pankaj Gupta was not available for comments.

Email Pradip Kumar Maitra: pradipmaitra@hindustantimes.com