Patna/Rourkela/Ranchi, August 25
The outlawed extremist outfit CPI (Maoist) has virtually threatened a war with the Bihar and Jharkhand police by announcing an indefinite bandh in these two states from August 26 if the police did not produce their two top leaders, allegedly arrested in Bihar, in the court by then.

The Naxal outfit had earlier given a 48 hour bandh call in five states - Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh - on the same issue, which would end at midnight on Tuesday. On the second day of the bandh enforced by them, they blew up a government building (newly constructed community hall) at Ekri village under Aurangabad district of central Bihar.

ADGP (HQs) Neelmani said the Naxals sneaked into Jharkhand territory after causing the dynamite blast damaging the community hall. However, the police from both Bihar and Jharkhand has launched a combing operation in the area, he informed.

Notably, the Maoists suspect the Bihar police to have arrested their two important leaders, including Politburo member Amit Bagchi alias Anil and Kartik, a central committee member, while they were heading to Patna from Ranchi (Jharkhand) by a train on August 19. But since their arrest was neither declared nor they were produced in any court by the police, the Naxal outfit suspects some foul play by the cops.

The disappearance of their two leaders is also being viewed as a retaliatory act over the Naxal attack on a police patrol party at Sono in Bihar’s Jamui district on Saturday last during which five cops were killed.

On their part, the Bihar police has categorically denied arrest of any such Maoist leaders.

Meanwhile, around 90 ultras, including 15 women, triggered a powerful explosion at the Roxy railway station, about 80 km from Rourkela, in Orissa, causing extensive damage to the building, the police said. An assistant station manager, a porter and a guard were held captive by the Maoists for over three hours before being released with a warning not to run trains during a shutdown, the sources said.