NEW DELHI, 15 March 2006 — Maoist rebels released a train after holding it with over 300 passengers captive for more than 12 hours. All the passengers were safe, sources said.
The rebels fled into the jungles at daybreak yesterday ahead of the arrival of police.
Rebels from the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) had stormed the Barwadi-Mughalsarai passenger train between Kummandi and Hehegada stations in Jharkhand’s Latehar district late Monday.
The rebels fired 12 to 14 rounds at the engine of the train which was partly damaged, senior police official B.C. Verma said. The walkie-talkie which allowed the train staff to communicate with rail stations was seized, cutting off communication.
Verma said the rebel action was to protest the death of an area commander of their group who was killed in an encounter with police on March 3.
None of the passengers were harmed. They said rebels captured the train at around 7:30 p.m. and stopped it from moving for about 12 hours. They shouted anti-government slogans and disappeared into the jungle as day broke, one of the passengers said.
“The rebels have melted into the jungles and we are now helping the terrified passengers, including, women and children vacate the area,” police superintendent Subodh Kumar said.
“The situation is under control and the passengers are all safe. Around 7.00 a.m. today (Tuesday), the rebels ordered all the passengers out of the train. They later tried to set the engine on fire.
“Many women and children were crying, they must have been terrified after being held captive all night, but thankfully the ordeal is over.” He said the rebel leader had told passengers: “‘We don’t have anything against you and therefore you are free to go. This battle is against the government.’”
The Maoists have become increasingly active in what is known as the “Red Corridor” stretching from Nepal in the north — with its own Maoist revolt — to the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Police estimate there are as many as 20,000 Maoists, known as Naxalites, named after the town of Naxalbari in West Bengal state where the movement began in 1967. They have close links with the Nepali Maoists.
The rebels operate in 15 of India’s 29 states and 1,000 people died in the conflict last year. In November, Maoists briefly took over a town in the eastern state of Bihar.
Some analysts say the Naxal problem, long neglected by the central government, is by far the most serious issue facing the country, outstripping Kashmir and Islamic militancy.
Police say the rebels may have seized the train, about 160 km west of the state capital, Ranchi, to lure security forces into an engagement.
“I think we did the right thing by not taking on the rebels last night,” Kumar said.
“There are land mines set all over and there could have been many casualties. At dawn it is a different battle and they had perhaps realized it and fled.” Some of the rebels told their captives they were protesting the killing of their commander last week by the police. — Additional input from Reuters.
