The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Patna

Maoist insurgents raided a police station and blew up railway tracks and a government building in Bihar on Friday, police said, to retaliate against the arrest of several rebel leaders in recent months.

Rail traffic was severely disrupted as rebels blew tracks in two separate areas in the state, officials said.

Police said the rebels also bombed a government building and later raided a remote police station in a remote area.

"The rebels retreated in the jungles when the police retaliated," Vinay Kumar, a senior police officer said.

At least 22 trains were held up, said Deepak Jha, a senior railway official.

The Maoists also enforced a one day shutdown in their rural strongholds in Bihar, the latest in a string of strikes in the region over the past two months.

More than 100 Maoists have been arrested in the last few months in Bihar and neighbouring Jharkhand in a police crackdown, angering the rebels.

Last week at least 35 elite anti-insurgency policemen were killed when Maoists blew up their patrol boat in mineral-rich Orissa.