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Naxalites blow up station in Bihar

Soroor Ahmad in Patna

Peoples War Group extremists on Thursday night blasted an improvised device at Baruna railway station on the Arrah-Buxar section of the Eastern Railway's Danapur division in Bihar, just hours before Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was to arrive here on a visit.

This was the third major attack on railway property by Naxalites in Bihar in the last one week.

Naxalites had blown off a part of railway track near Masaurhi railway station on the Patna-Gaya section on December 15 minutes before the Ganga-Damodar Express was to pass over it. On December 18 the ultras struck again when they blasted an improvised device at the Kajrath-Nawadhi railway station on the Sone-Barkakana section of the Eastern Railway.

Director General of Police K A Jacob said about 50 Naxalites attacked the station around midnight. They asked railway employees to leave their post before blowing up the station building.

He said railway property in and around the station was destroyed and both up and down lines were damaged. The extremists also torched the nearby cabin throwing the signalling system out of gear.

Jacob said the ultras left behind some leaflets in which they said the attack was in retaliation of the killing of their five area commanders, four in Andhra Pradesh and one in Bihar in police encounters, recently.

Jacob said senior police officials were camping at the station and a search operation had been launched.

Railway sources here said the damaged tracks had been repaired and train services on the section partially restored. The signalling system, however, was yet to repaired.

Danapur Division Manager S P Vatas along with engineers is camping at the spot to supervise the restoration work.

Sources said several long-distance trains, including Poorva Express, Toofan Express, Rajdhani Express, Shramjeevi Express, Magadh Express and Kurla-Patna Express, had been diverted through the grand chord.

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