India: Maoists blast train tracks; Train derails

Photos

The "Red-Corridor"

see larger image

uploaded by Mritunjay

• 

  uploaded by Mritunjay | add comment

• 

  uploaded by lalith | add comment

• 

  uploaded by Mritunjay | add comment

The naxalites in India who claim to be voice of poor and oppose administrative "oppression" have shown their real colors once again. At least three passengers were killed and over 47 others injured when eight bogies of the 321 Tata-Bilaspur passenger train derailed after the Maoists terrorists blew up railway tracks on Thursday night at around 9:15PM local time, in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district. The blast comes ahead of a 24-hours statewide strike called by militants to oppose the assembly election in the state.

Three of the bogies, apparently ferrying central armed forces, were badly damaged. The Maoists appeared to have booby-trapped tracks elsewhere too, in a bid to delay the arrival of reinforcements. West Singhbhum district Superintendent of Police, Akhilesh Kumar Jha and other officials who were travelling by a special train to the site, were forced to halt after a blast near another station at 11pm.

Train movement on the busy Howrah-Mumbai route has been affected. Authorities expect the trains bound for western India from Howrah (Kolkata) could be either re-routed or delayed on Friday.

Jharkhand is one of the worst-hit states by naxal terror. Recently the naxalites had beheaded an intelligence officer. Blowing up train tracks, stations and schools is nothing new for these criminals who have been indulging in other activities like collecting "levy" or ransom to fund their operations from small businessmen in the terror zone.

A relief train has reached from Rourkela.

Update 1:

The railway authorities tonight announced helpline numbers following the derailment of Tata-Bilaspur passenger train in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district.

The telephone helpline numbers are:

• Chakardharpur: +91-6587-238072
• Rourkela: +91-661-2501072
• Jamshedpur (TataNagar): +91-6572-290324
  

More details are awaited.