REBELS DETONATE BOMBS AT ROXY RAILWAY STATION

Suspected Maoist rebels detonated several explosives at the Roxy railway station in the Sundargarh district of the eastern state of Orissa on 25 August 2009. There were no reports of injuries, as the rebels had forced all of the station's employees to leave the facility before detonating the explosives. The rebels abducted at least three people, including the station manager. The rebels then set fire to 15 vehicles parked outside of the station. In a separate attack, the rebels blew up at least three cell phone towers in the eastern state of Jharkhand. The Communist Party of India - Maoist (CPI-M) launched a strike in the states of Dharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal and Chhatisgarh -- strongholds of the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency -- on 24 August to protest the recent arrest of two senior members of the CPI-M in Bihar state. The strike will end in Orissa, West Bengal and Chattisgarh on 25 August, but is open-ended in Bihar and Jharkhand. For the duration of the strike, there is an increased risk of Maoist attacks, which usually affect transportation, communications and police targets in rural areas.