Maoists attack Bihar's Masudan railway station; one killed, two abducted

Patna: Maoists attacked Masudan railway station on Jamalpur-Kiul rail section, here, killing one person and abducting two officials to enforce a shutdown they have called.

Armed Maoists attacked the Masudan railway station on late Tuesday night. According to an Eastern Railway official, the attack took place at about 2325 hours.

They killed a deputy village body head, torched cabin panel and abducted two railway employees -- station master Mukesh Kumar and porter Narendra Mandal -- to enforce a shutdown they had called on Wednesday

Train services on that stretch were stopped.

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Eastern Railway spokesperson Ravi Mahapatra told IANS that after the attack, the Gaya-Jamalpur passenger train, which arrived at the Masudan station at 11.39 p.m. was halted there as the signalling system was damaged.

"Senior police officials then arrived at the station with engineers and the train was allowed to move at0545 hours on Wednesday morning," he said.

"But soon after the services were started, an Assistant Operations Manager at Malda received a threat call from the Maoists that if any movement continued, the abductees will be killed. It prompted the suspension of services on the section at 7 a.m.," Mahapatra said.

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A number of trains were halted at the Kiul-Jamalpur-Bhagalpur section of Malda Division including -- Farakka Express and Muzaffarpur Bhagalpur Jan Sewa Express at Kiul, Banka Express at Barahiya, Jaynagar Howrah Passenger at Dinkar Gram Samaria, the officer added.

Search operation for the abducted railway officials were ongoing.