Maoist rebels blow up railway track in Orissa - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Suspected Maoist rebels blew up a stretch of a railway track near Bhalulata in the Sundergarh region of of Orissa on Wednesday. Eight bogies of a goods train has been derailed and train services between Howrah-Mumbai have been disrupted following the explosion. However, there has been no report of any casualty. This sabotage by the rebels has been viewed as a part of the three-day shutdown call given by rebels in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa, as a mark of protest against the central government's 'Operation Green Hunt' to track down Maoists. Home Minister P Chidambaram held a key meeting with the chiefs and representatives of four Maoist-affected states in Kolkata on Tuesday. Chidambaram later extended an olive branch to Maoist rebels and urged them to abjure violence to make headway on talks with the government. Maoists claim they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers, but are fast losing credibility after attacking schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects.