Maoists blow up Jharkhand railway track during shutdown

Ranchi, June 16 (ANI) Maoists blasted a rail track and a mobile phone tower in Jharkhand on Thursday during their 24-hour shutdown.

They blasted a railway track near Mohammad Ganj station of Palamu district early Thursday.

In another incident, Maoist rebels blasted a mobile phone tower of a private company at Mali village in Palamu.

Meanwhile, the shutdown called by them to protest the arrest of their leader, Jagdish Yadav brought normal life to a standstill in Jharkhand.

Commuters and passengers were stranded at various bus stops and railway stations in capital Ranchi, as public transport did not ply.

Locals demanded the government to come up with a solution to stop such shutdowns.

"The shutdown should not have been there. If such instances continue, till what extent should we bear it? A decision should be taken on this. The government should fulfil the needs of all of us," said Hussain Sikander.

"This should not have happened. I do not know what their demands are. But if all our ministers try to sit and resolve the issues, I do not think such shutdowns would take place," said Bapi Kumar.

Yadav was arrested in a joint operation conducted by the police and the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on June 13 in Bihar.

A senior politburo member of the CPI-M, Yadav, also known as Bhupesh, Jagdish Master and Akhilesh, had been under the scanner of the state police since a long time.

According to police department, his capture has significantly boosted the efforts of the police in curtailing the spread of the rebels, who have unleashed a reign of violence in Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. (ANI)