By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Maoists in Orissa triggered a land mine blast, narrowly missing some paramilitary force personnel, and beat up a top railway official in separate incidents Monday.
Maoists triggered a landmine at about 10 a.m. near a village in the southern district of Malkangiri, some 700 km from here, just minutes after a group of Central Reserve Police Force personnel crossed the spot.
Maoists are observing a shutdown Monday in the area to protest alleged excesses by security forces in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
The rebels have blocked roads and hung posters detailing police atrocities, a senior district police official told IANS here.
In the second incident, a group of about 15 armed Maoists rushed to the Topadihi Railway Station in the western district of Sundergarh, some 400 km from here, at around 9.30 a.m. and severely beat up A. Tirkey, the assistant station master, police said.
The Maoists are reported to have told Tirkey that they punished him because he did not observe a shutdown on Sunday despite a call given by them. The bandh call was to protest the arrest of a Maoist leader in neighbouring Jharkhand state.
Tirkey was taken to a local government hospital at Bimalgarh for treatment.