RANCHI: Maoists today blew up a stretch of railway track and set ablaze three trucks in Jharkhand as they began their two-day Jharkhand-Bihar shutdown in protest against what they alleged the Centre's effort to put down the CPI(Maoists) movement by force.

"They (Maoists) blew up a stretch of railway track around 2.30 am at Jharandih in the Coal belt Industrial Chord section in Dhanbad," Senior Public Relations Officer of the Dhanbad Rail Division Amrendra Das told a news agency in Dhanbad.

Shaktipunj Express was held up due to blast, he added. In another incident, about 12 armed Maoists set fire to three trucks at around 1 am in Giridih's Isri area and cut down trees to block road traffic on the Dumri-Giridih road, Giridih Superintendent of police Ravi Kant Dhan said in Giridih.

They also partially damaged a road bridge, which connects Dumri to the Grand Trunk Road, using explosives, the police officer said.

Maoists pasted posters in Giridih's Parasnath area. Tight security arrangements are in place in the naxal-affected districts in the state.

Earlier, suspected Maoists set ablaze a truck laden with 'sal' leaves in Kotwali area of West Midnapore district late Sunday night.

Police said a group of people, suspected to be activists of CPI (Maoists), stopped the truck at Nayagram under Kotwali area and asked the driver and helper to alight.

They then set the vehicle ablaze and retreated into nearby jungle. There was no report of any casualty.

The incident took place despite the presence of joint security forces of West Bengal police and CRPF in certain nearby Maoist pockets including trouble-torn Lalgarh.

Some reports suggested the Maoists also raised slogans demanding the release of tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato, arrested from Lalgarh on September 26, but there was no official confirmation

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