JOIN USMaoists attack train in Bihar, kill three
Three persons, including a constable, were killed when around 100 Maoists attacked the Patna-Dhanbad Intercity Express near Jamui station in Bihar at 1:30 pm on Thursday.
The attack was carried out to loot the sophisticated arms of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel escorting the train when it was passing through the jungle area which is close to Jharkhand border.
The incident took place at Kundar Halt, some 15 km away from the Jamui railway station.
One civilian, identified as Kumar Amit, was one of three persons killed in nearly 200 rounds of firing. Amit was posted as sub-inspector in Patna and was travelling as a passenger.
The RPF man, who succumbed to his injuries sustained during firing, has been identified as Sukant Deonath of Uttarakhand. The third person who died was a passenger Sarwar Islam.
Railway DIG K S Anupam said heavy reinforcement, including Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, have been rushed to the site. A massive combing operation was underway to flush out the Maoists who escaped with sophisticated weapons of the RPF jawans. “We have information that the guerrillas escaped with one AK-47 and two Insas rifles,” said Amitabh Prabhakar, CPRO of the East Central Railway.
The Intercity Express was later brought to the Kiul station, from where the injured were rushed to the nearest hospital. A railway official of the Danapur division, R K Singh, said several trains were stranded on the main Patna-Howrah route after the incident. Normalcy was restored late in the evening.
Railway Minister C P Joshi has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the killed and Rs 1 lakh for those seriously injured.
Meanwhile, reports from Gaya said a gunbattle was underway between the Maoists and the paramilitary forces near the Chatrabanda forest in Gaya district. One jawan of the CRPF’s special force was reportedly injured in the heavy exchange of fire.