Suspected Maoists blew up a road culvert close to the railway tracks in the Bisra area of Orissa’s Sundergarh district on Wednesday, briefly disrupting train services on the Mumbai-Howrah route.
“A road culvert at Mahipani in the Bisra police station area, about 30 km from here, was blown up by the rebels using a landmine,” Rourkela superintendent of police Diptesh Patnaik said.
No one was hurt in the incident which triggered panic in the locality, the police said.
As the culvert was close to the railway tracks, the station manager and other staff of the nearby Bhalulata station thought it was an attack on the railway lines and alerted the police.
While other railway stations were asked to regulate the trains slated to begin operations at 5 am after night halt, teams from railway protection force (RPF), government railway police (GRP), state police and bomb disposal squad (BDS) were engaged to check rail lines in the area, the police said.
A thorough inspection of the tracks showed there was neither any damage to the lines nor any explosive device planted, they said, adding train services resumed after the security personnel gave clearance.
In another development in the district, about 60 Maoists stormed into Jheripani village under the jurisdiction of the Koida police station and held a meeting on Tuesday night and asked the villagers to stop work and mining operation in Kalta mines, the police sources said.
Finding the ultras in the area, the security personnel engaged in the mines had reportedly moved away from the scene out of fear while shop owners in the local market downed shutters.
The police suspected that Maoists’ action was in retaliation to arrest of six ultras belonging to Jheripani village on Tuesday.
However, they did not harm anyone during their hour-long stay in the village and went into the nearby forests adjoining Jharkhand, they said.