The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Patna

Maoist insurgents blew up a railway track in Bihar on Tuesday, severely disrupting the rail network on the second day of protests over the killing of villagers in a land row.

Dozens of trains were held up or cancelled after the attack in Lakhisarai district, railway officials and police said.

"We are rushing to the spot with a large force to stop more such attacks," Shivashwar Prasad Shukla, a police officer said. The rebels also shut down shops and blocked roads in eastern rural strongholds to protest against the violence in neighbouring West Bengal's Nandigram area, which they blame on the communist-ruled state government.

The communists, who are allies of India's central coalition government, lost control of Nandigram earlier this year after trying, unsuccessfully, to turf villagers off their land to make way for a chemicals complex. Local opposition parties and Maoist rebels moved in, and the area became a no-go zone for communists and police alike.

This month, communist party cadres forced their way back in. At least six villagers were killed in the violence, bringing the death toll to at least 34 so far this year. Several women have alleged they were raped by communist cadres.