Maoist violence ahead of 2nd phase poll

A day ahead of the second phase of Lok Sabha election, nearly 200 Maoists hijacked a passenger train going from Barkana to Mugalsarai at a local railway station in Latehar district in Jharkhand. The incident took place at around 7 am Wednesday.

As per unconfirmed reports, over 700 passengers are inside the hijacked train.

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No casualties have been reported so far.

Naxals had earlier issued a boycott call to Lok Sabha elections in Bihar and Jharkhand scheduled on Thursday. The bandh will come to an end tonight.

In Bihar, Naxals attacked at a block development office in Aurangabad district, bombed his chamber and adjacent conference hall around 3 am, ADG Neelmani said. No casualties however occurred, as there was nobody in the office.

In another incident, Maoist rebels also set fire eight trucks in neighbouring Gaya district and killed a driver, identified as Lakshman Yadav, while trying to escape.

On Tuesday night, Naxalites blasted Untari railway station under Garwa Road-Dehri Onsole railway division in Palamu district during 24-hour Jharkhand bandh called by them in protest of the killing of five Maoists in an encounter with police on April 16 during the first phase of Lok Sabha polls.

Railway movement was disrupted following the bomb blast, however, no casualties have been reported so far. Transmission department and signal cabin were damaged, but the Naxalites had evacuated the train before the blast. Polling was held for Palamu Lok Sabha seat on April 16.

Earlier on April 16 during the first phase of elections, Maoist rebels, who have called to boycott elections, had killed 19 people, including 10 security personnel and five polling officers in different incidents in Bihar and Jharkhand.

Elections in Bihar scheduled to be held in four phases for the 40 Lok Sabha seats, first of which has been conducted and second will be held tomorrow, while elections in Jharkhand (14 seats) will be ended with the second phase for the rest 8 seats on Thursday.