RANCHI: Maoists blew up a railway track on Howrah-Mumbai main line in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand during the daylong ‘Bharat bandh’ called by them on Monday. The Jharkhand police said the incident took place around 2:30 am on Monday between Lotapahar and Sonua stations under Chakradharpur rail division where Maoists blew up the track by triggering a landmine.
“The IED weighing around 20-25 kg damaged around 3.5-ft of the rail track. We suspect a local squad of the Maoists active in the region for the sabotage,” said Chaibasa Superintendent of Police Ajay Linda.
The railway traffic on the busy line was affected for a few hours and was restored, the police official added.Railway officials swung into action after they were informed by a loco pilot that he had observed noise on the track and spotted a red banner.