Maoists attack railway station, abduct employee

Patna, Aug 3 (IANS) Nearly two dozen armed Maoists attacked a railway station in Bihar's Jamui district and abducted a railway employee, officials said on Thursday. The man was later freed.

A police official said the Maoists surrounded the Bhulai station near Jamui on Wednesday night and seized Muni Mandal, a gateman at a railway crossing.

"He was freed within an hour after being taken hostage by Maoists," a police officer said.

In New Delhi, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Deputy Inspector General M. Dinakaran told IANS that around 30-35 Maoists under the command of Parvesh mounted the attack.

The officer said five teams of CRPF's CoBRA Battalion managed to free the railway employee after a gun battle with the Maoists in a joint operation with the police.

The Maoists damaged a mobile tower in Manpur village before escaping.

The attack disrupted railway services for six to seven hours on the busy Patna-Howrah section.

The CRPF officer said a thorough search of the railway tracks was carried out before rail services were restored around 7 a.m. on Thursday.

Jamui Superintendent of Police Jayant Kant said combing operations against the Maoists began early on Thursday in the nearby forested areas.

Thursday was the last day of a "Martyrs Week" which began on July 28. It was on July 28, 1972 that Charu Mazumdar, who ignited the Maoist movement in India, died in a Kolkata prison.