The bandh has been called to protest the arrested of five Maoist leaders. Among the arrested is an important Maoist functionary, Sunil Marandi, who is a member of the Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and North Chhattisgarh Special Area Committee. He was picked up on May 30, local media reports said.

Following the explosion in the wee hours of the morning on the railway tracks, services on the Howrah-Patna section between Narganjo and Ghorparan stations were disrupted, according to Eastern Railway authorities.

A major accident was averted when the Poorvanchal Express crossed the area soon after the explosion. The parcel coach of the express train, however, was derailed.

Several trains, including the Howrah-Delhi Janata Express, Howrah-Danapur Express, Tata-Danapur Express, Tata-Gorakhpur Express and Amritsar-Danapur Express, were held up at different stations.

In what seemed to be a well planned move the Maoist rebels blew up the SDO’s office in Kharagpur damaging a portion of the building. There were no reports of casualties because the office was unoccupied at the unearthly hour. The adjoining FCI godown, however, was looted and the rebels made off with sacks of food grains. No arrests have been reported.