Maoists blow up track, mobile tower in Jharkhand

Maoists today blew up a railway track in Latehar, about an hour after the Rajdhani Express crossed the stretch, and bombed a mobile tower in neighbouring Palamu district during a 48-hour bandh called by them in five states, including Jharkhand.

Train services were disrupted between Barwadih-Barkakana route following the incident.
    
About 20 ultras blasted the track between Kumundi and Hehegarha railway stations, about 150 km from Ranchi, Latehar Railway station master P N Tiwari said here.

The blast occurred after the Rajdhani Express crossed the spot at 5:30 am. The blast took place around 6:30 am.
    
Latehar Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Diwedi said the blast was not targeted at any train.

In a separate incident in neighbouring Palamau, the Maoists blew up a mobile tower early this morning.
    
About 50 armed Naxalites reached the site of the tower situated on Aurangabad-Medininagar route in the district, stuffed explosives before blowing it up, deputy superintendent of police Brajmohan Paswan, said here.

The blast left a big crater on the spot, about 200 km from Ranchi, he added.
     
The CPI (Maoist) have said in a release that they have enforced the two-day shut down in Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh following the arrest of two of its senior members a couple of days ago in Bihar.
     
The police, however, have not confirmed their arrest.