A railway track in the Sundergarh region of India's state of Orissa was attacked by Maoists on Monday. Security personnel came across the blown up track near the Bhalulata railway station.

[Naveen Patnaik, Chief of Orissa State]:
"We are acting as you can see. We have been acting and we have had various successes. Also five battalions arrived and I certainly hope five more will arrive as well. There will be more actions taken."

This sabotage by the rebels has been viewed as a part of the 72-hour shutdown call given by them in fthe our states of Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa.

This shutdown was declared as a mark of protest against the federal government's plan to track down Maoists.

The Maoists have ignored repeated calls to end their violence. Instead, they have stepped up their attacks in recent months, prompting the government to go after them.

Thousands have been killed in the Maoist insurgency, which began in the late 1960s. India’s Prime Minister has described the conflict as one of the gravest domestic threats to India's internal security.