The Naxalites in Bihar stay true to their words. Last week, they had announced they will be celebrating “martyrdom week” from 28th July to 3rd August with a promise to fulfil dreams of those ‘martyrs’. Nothing like a bit of train hijacking and abduction of railway employees to pay tributes to insurgents, though.
Early on Thursday, 3rd August, Maoists reportedly hijacked a train in the Lakhisarai district in Bihar. The report says a mobile tower was also blown up in the area. The CRPF statement read that train no-13288 Danapur Durg Express train was hijacked near the Bhalui station around 2:30 AM (3rd August). The cabin man who was on duty was also abducted. Exchange of fire took place between the forces and the Maoists. However, normalcy has been restored now and the kidnapped cabin man freed.
Before the Moaists hijacked the train in Lakhisarai, two railway employees were abducted on two separate tracks in Bihar on the intervening night of 1st-2nd August around midnight. On Kiul-Jhajha track, the Gopalpur cabin man was abducted whereas on Kiul-Jamalpur track, Urain cabin man was abducted. Following night-long operations by the district police and CRPF, normalcy was restored at around 6 am on Wednesday morning.
The Maoists had demanded a shutdown during the “martyrs’ week” observed by the banned CPI (Maoist) and its armed wing, the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) on the death anniversary of Charu Mazumdar who is considered the father of Left-wing terrorism in India. It is reported that around 100 “rebels” were involved in the abduction of railway employees for defying the shutdown. The employees are now released.
