left Wing insurgents torched an Overhead Equipment (OHE) maintenance railway engine on Kirandul-Vishakhapatnam railway line in Dantewada district on Saturday morning. The engine was deployed for carrying out maintenance work on the tracks, police said. The incident occurred around 7.30 am when the engine was about 15 km from Bhansi police station in a forested patch, which is highly sensitive, RK Sahu Additional Superintendent (ASP) of Police Dantewada informed.
The engine had reached the spot to repair the railway tracks damaged by the Naxals between Kupre and Kamlur under Bhansi Police station limits on February 19. Two engines of a freight train had derailed due to damaged tracks and the loco pilot and his assistant were injured in the mishap. About a dozen of Naxals had reached the spot where maintenance work was being carried out. They forced the workers to stop work and set ablaze the OHE engine, the ASP informed. Soon after getting information, police force was sent to the spot. However, the insurgents had fled the scene before arrival of force. No one was injured in the incident, ASP Sahu added.