Kolkata: Maoists triggered twin explosions in West Bengal on Wednesday, killing five paramilitary troopers in the trouble-torn Lalgarh belt and wounding two people in a railway track blast in West Midnapore district on the second day of their 48-hour shutdown in five states, police said.
Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including a deputy commandant, were killed and one was injured when the Leftwing rebels blew up their patrol vehicle by detonating a landmine in Lalgarh in West Midnapore.
The explosion occurred between Pingboni and Ramgarh areas under Lalgarh police station, about 200 km west of here, on the concluding day of the two-day shutdown the rebels called to press their demand for withdrawal of the operation the states and the central government have jointly launched against them.
"Four of the jawans died on the spot. The deputy commandant, Vijay Pal Singh, was pronounced dead in a private hospital in Kolkata where he was admitted in the evening," Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Zulfiqar Hassan told IANS.
Vijay Pal, posted in the area recently, had sustained severe head injuries.
Director General of Police Bhupinder Singh said the deputy commandant died on the way to the hospital after being taken off the helicopter in which he was flown in from West Midnapore.
Hassan said another seriously injured trooper, N K Ghosh, was being treated in the hospital.
The blast occurred at 11.30 a.m. when the troopers were patrolling a forested stretch. The vehicle was totally wrecked in the explosion and left a five-foot-deep crater on the road.
Early Thursday, the driver of a goods train and his assistant were injured when the Leftwing extremists carried out an explosion damaging both the up and down railway tracks between Jhargram and Gidhni stations.
"The explosion occurred at 2 a.m. The engine of the goods train was damaged. The driver and his assistant suffered minor injuries," Additional Director General of police (Railways) Dilip Mitra told IANS.
"Train movement was disrupted as the overhead wires got snapped due to the explosion," he said.
The Howrah-bound Mumbai Mail, Hatia Express and Koraput Express were held up at various stations for hours.
Maoists have called the shutdown in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. In West Bengal, the Maoist rebels are active in the three western districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.
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