The explosion took place shortly after midnight on Saturday, when Maoists targeted the railway track. The blast was of low intensity and resulted in partial damage, affecting only a concrete sleeper. The railway department and local administration responded swiftly to the incident.Meanwhile, in another incident early Sunday morning, a railway gangman was killed and another injured in an IED blast while inspecting the track near Bimalgarh railway station at the Odisha–Jharkhand border under the Chakradharpur Division.According to railway officials, gangmen Atua Oram and Budhua Munda were injured in the blast and rushed to Bimalgarh Hospital in Odisha. While Atua succumbed to his injuries on the way, Budhua is undergoing treatment and is in stable condition.Currently, Maoist activity in Jharkhand is largely confined to the Saranda forest, as they have been pushed out of other strongholds. According to an estimate, around 85–90 Maoists are supposed to be hiding in the Saranda jungles, where they have planted thousands of IEDs, which have become a challenge for the security forces.A joint operation was launched in the Saranda and Kolhan forest regions in November 2022, based on intelligence inputs suggesting that senior Maoist leaders like Misir Besra and Patiram Majhi alias Anal Da were present in the area, which is considered strategically crucial.The incidents, which took place under the Chakradhapur Railway Division, once again suggest that Maoist organisations are still not eliminated in the bordering areas and they know how to make their presence on some select occasions.
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