Maoists attack train in Bihar, railway cop killed

Suspected armed Maoists attacked a passenger train in Bihar's Jamui district Thursday afternoon killing a railway police personnel and injuring half a dozen other people, police said.

Additional Director General of Police S.K. Bhardwaj said a Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel was killed and weapons of four of his colleagues looted by the rebels in a rare day-time attack on the Dhanbad-Patna inter-city train near Bhului halt in Jamui, some 150 km from here.

It seems the motive was to loot the arms of the RPF personnel in the train, Bhardwaj said.

Jamalpur Rail Superintendent of Police Amitabh Das, who is on way to Jamui, said there was exchange of fire between the RPF personnel and the Maoists.

"Railway police countered the attack," he said.

East Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Amitabh Prabhakar told IANS over telephone: "We have information that some passengers have been injured in firing by the Maoists."

Additional forces have been rushed to the spot, Bhardwaj said.