Suspected Maoists fire on train in Jharkhand

Suspected Maoist rebels fired on the Dhanbad-Jhargram passenger train at Kokpara station in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, officials said on Friday.

At least four-five unidentified assailants attacked the train at about 10pm and fired several rounds before fleeing with three walkie-talkie sets from the train driver, guard and station master of Kokpara, about 80 km south east from Jamshedpur on Howrah-Mumbai main line. Kokpara falls under Kharagpur division of South Eastern Railway.

“Train movement has normalised as we escorted out the passenger train from



Kokpara. There’s no casualty but they have looted three wireless sets. Its still not clear who these miscreants were but we’re investigating the incident,” Anoop T Matthew, Jamshedpur’s senior superintendent of police, told at the time of filing this report.

Jamshedpur rural superintendent of police Md Arshi said a spent cartridge of 9 mm has been recovered from the spot. “We’re investigating if Maoists had any role in it,” said Arshi.

RA Ansari, Railway Protection Force (RPF) commandant at Chakradharpur, said he was unable to speak at the moment.