Title - Moaists Bandh: Attack on police patrol party, railway tracks blown

Ranchi  : Ultras of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) ambushed a police patrolling party, killing a policeman and wounding others 12, apart from blowing up railway tracks during the 24 bandh in the state.One policeman was killed while 12 others sustained injury when CPI (Maoist) ultras attacked a patrolling party under Topchanchi police station area in this district as the 24-hour Jharkhand bandh called by the insurgent faction got underway in the state.Koylanchal Range DIG Laxaman Prasad Singh told UNI in the attack Dhanbad Superintendent of Police R K Dhan had a narrow escape as he was leading the patrolling party."Among the 12 injured, six have been referred to RIMS, Ranchi while the remaining are being treated at the Dhanbad central hospital," Mr Singh said, adding condition of three jawans was stated to be critical.The DIG said separate teams had been formed and raids were on in and around the area to nab the ultras.In another incident, the ultras blew up railway tracks near Tetulmari station under Dhanbad railway division, disrupting railway traffic for about ten hours on the Grand Cord section.The naxals also blew up the building of Hehegarha railway station and a stretch of tracks near the station in Latehar district.Hehegarha falls under Coal Indian Cord (CIC) railway section.

The ultras also set ablaze an engine of a goods train which was stationed at the Hehegarha railway station.

Meanwhile, railway sources at Dhanbad divison informed that normal rail traffic had been restored.

Report from Daltonganj said vehicular movement was hampered in the ditrict as long distance vehicles remained off the road. Due to the bandh Palamu Express and many other passenger and goods train were stranded at the Daltonganj Station.

Police sources said that patrolling has been intensified in sensitive areas of Panki, Manatu, Patan and Hussainabad to check any untoward incident.

In Chatra too, passengers had a torrid time as buses and other public transports did not ply. Shops and other business establishments were also closed in the district.

Transporting and loading of coal in CCL's Piparwar colliery was also badly hit.

Coal activity was also hampered in Bokaro and Ramgarh districts of the state.

The naxals had called a 24-hour bandh across five states of Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Chhattissgarh and Jharkhand to protest the conviction of five Maoist guerrillas by an Uttar Pradesh court and the Green Hunt operation.