Maoists blast mobile tower in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district

"The state police headquarters has directed all superintendent of police to be on high alert and increase vigilance on soft targets like railway tracks and government installations across the state," he said.



The Maoists' strike call evoked mixed response in the state as normal life was hit in some rural areas but urban areas were largely unaffected.

"Fear of Maoists forced closure of rural area markets in Gaya, Aurangabad, Arwal, Jehanabad and other districts. Vehicles stayed off roads and common people suffered," a police official said.

Police officials admitted that life in some rural pockets, known as Maoist strongholds, was paralysed, as neither shops nor banks opened.

Despite the police deployment and the administration's promise of security cover, shopkeepers downed their shutters and stayed home.