New Delhi, Saturday 02 January 2010: Train services were hit in West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand on Saturday after Maoists placed two boxes and wires on rail track in West Bengal’s Midnapore district that authorities feared were bombs.

The discovery forced the authorities to cancel trains from 2.30 am between Banstala and Sardia railway stations in Jhargram division. A red banner of the Maoists was also found. The Mumbai Mail and Purushottam Express were among the long-distance trains halted at different stations as a large police contingent cordoned off the spot.

Trains were stranded in Tata Nagar in Jharkhand, Chakradharpur in Orissa and Kharagpur in West Bengal. Bomb squad personnel found that the boxes contained only sand and mud. The train services resumed after eight hours.