IWK

Maoists hijack Rajdhani Express

Written by IWK Bureau | Oct 28, 2009 11:12:41 PM

New Delhi: It seemed to be  a scene right out  of a Wild West, when pro-Maoists group the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities ( PCPA ), seized  the prestigious Dehli-Bhubhaneshwar Rajdhani Express and held more than 800 passengers hostage at Banshtola station near West Midnapore, West Bengal.  The drama lasted nearly six hours.

The activists abducted the train’s driver and his assistant, pelted stones at the train injuring some passengers.  All passengers were made to get off the train and bundled on the platform.  Soon they started painting slogans on the compartments demanding the release of their leader Chhatradhar Mahato, who is currently lodged in Midnapore jail. 

The train was secured after CRPF and the state police had a fierce gun battle with the PCPA activists.  The driver and the assistant were released without being harmed and the the men melted away in the cover of darkness.

Maoist rebels regularly attack goods trains and have in the past even hijacked a few local passenger trains in remote districts of India before fleeing, but this is the first time a daring attack as been made on a prestigious train.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has  again warned that  the rebels had managed to retain support among a cross-section of society and remain the biggest internal security threat.