Railways are soft target for Maoists in Jharkhand

Ranchi, May 30 (IANS) Railway property seems to have become a soft target for Maoists in Jharkhand.

In the last one week, the Maoists have blasted railway tracks at two places and set on fire a railway station.

On May 23, the rebels destroyed tracks at Kasitand in Bokaro district. Three days later, they set ablaze the Dumri Vihar railway station, also in Bokaro district.

The Maoists also torched a railway engine and other equipment at the station -- and escaped with the railway wireless system.

On Monday, the Maoists against targeted the railway track near Chiyanki station in Giridih district.

The guerrillas had called a shutdown in Jharkhand on Monday to protest an amendment in the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act and the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act. The amendment allows agricultural land to be used for non-agricultural purpose.

"Railway properties are soft targets. The railway suffer huge losses because of this," a railway official who did not wish to be named told IANS.

According to official figures, Maoists targeted the railway four times every year since 2012. The only exception was 2013 when only one incident was reported.

This year, three incidents have been reported in one week.

Jharkhand Police say safeguarding railway property everywhere is not humanly possible.

"The Maoists are desperate as anti-Maoist operations are yielding positive results and many senior guerrillas have surrendered. The Maoists are damaging railway properties to make their presence felt," a police official told IANS.