Maoists set a police station on fire in Keonjhar district of Orissa and opened random fire near a CRPF camp in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on the first day of their 48-hour bandh on Wednesday to protest the killing of top Naxal leader Azad alias Cherukuri Raj Kumar. Over 30-40 armed Maoists gheraoed the Daitary police station around 9 pm and set the building on fire,according to Keonjhar SP Ashis Singh. The rebels also raised slogans against Operation Green Hunt and displacement of tribals at Kalinga Nagar area of neighbouring Jajpur district. Though no senior official was present at the police station,assistant sub-inspector Umesh Chandra Marandi is reported to have been abducted. The rebels also set fire to a forest beat house. In Chhattisgarh,officials said no one was injured in the firing by the rebels near the CRPF camp near Ekda in Narayanpur district of Bastar region. There was some firing from a distance near Edka CRPF camp. Security forces returned the fire. There is no trouble as such, said IGP (Bastar range) T J Longkumeer. Meanwhile,train and bus services were affected in some areas of states. With trains becoming a soft target for the Maoists,security was tightened at stations and patrolling of tracks intensified in Maoist-hit areas. Special task forces were kept on stand-by while some trains were being escorted by pilot engines,a Railway official said.
