3 killed, rail tracks, station blown up in Bihar, Jharkhand

Patna-Palamau, Sept. 23 (PTI): Three persons, including a policeman, were killed and railway tracks and a station blasted today as widespread violence marred a 24-hour general strike called by CPI(Maoist) in Bihar and adjacent Jharkhand to protest the arrest of their leaders.

Hundreds of heavily armed ultras set ablaze six trucks and two buses on Grand Trunk Road and seven trucks at another place in Gaya district, police sources said

When police reached the spot on the Grand Trunk Road, an encounter broke out in which a policeman, Shanker Singh, was killed. A private bus driver, Kameswar Rai and helper Surajdeo Yadav also died in the cross fire, the sources said.

Another injured truck driver Satynarain Yadav was hospitalised in Gaya where his condition was stated to be critical.

The naxalites took some passengers of a bus hostage while retreating but freed them later, the sources said.

A report from Palamau in Jharkhand said the ultras blew up a 50-metre stretch of railway tracks at Pahleja on Mughalsrai-Gaya section in neighbouring Rohtas district, disrupting movement of trains for over five hours, railway sources said.

National highways in Aurangabad, Gaya and Rohtas districts, where the Maoists have a base, were deserted as private bus and truck opertors stayed off the roads.

Railway sources Maoists damaged Kajarat Nawadih railway station on Garwah Road-Sonenagar railway route under Mugalsarai in naxal-hit Palamu district by exploding can bombs after employees were evacuated. They also damaged the rail track at Chengro on Dhanbad-Gaya section.