By IANS,
Kolkata : Maoist guerrillas killed a Marxist leader and blew up a rail track in West Bengal, disrupting train services for several hours on the second day of a shutdown in six states.
The Maoists shot dead Hemanta Pradhan, a local leader of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), in Kuldiha village in West Midnapore district.
Police sources said Pradhan was abducted from his daughter’s house Monday night by around 15 armed men. His bullet-riddled body was found Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Maoists exploded a landmine between Gidhni and Khatkura stations causing heavy damage, the sources said.
A South Eastern Railway spokesman said several trains were detained or diverted after that in West Bengal and neighbouring Orissa.
The Maoists have called a two-day shutdown in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh besides three districts of Maharashtra including Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli to oppose a sweeping crackdown on them.