Patna, April 16 (IANS) A strike call by Maoists evoked a mixed response in Bihar Wednesday. Urban areas were largely unaffected while normal life was hit in some rural areas. No major violence or attempt to create trouble was reported across the state during the state-wide 24-hour strike that started late Tuesday night, police sources said.

State police chief S.K. Jha told newspersons here that Maoist strike has so far passed off peacefully except for one incident. Five railway officials were held captive late Tuesday night at Saser railway station in the Aurangabad-Mughalsarai section. They were later released but it disrupted railway traffic for a short duration.

Jha said that a red alert has been sounded and police officers were asked to keep extra vigil.

Maoists had given strike call in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh to protest against the killing of their cadres in police encounters at Bandu forests in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district earlier this month.

Official sources in the home department said that the Maoist strike call evoked no response in urban areas including Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Purnea.

Normal life in some rural areas, regarded as Maoist strongholds, in Aurangabad, Arwal and Gaya districts were affected.

“Business establishment and educational institutions were affected by the strike in Aurangabad and Arwal,” an official said.

Railway sources said that over six passenger trains had been cancelled and some were diverted. Railway stations across the state were alerted Monday and the railway police hastily increased patrolling and deployed additional forces a day after six people including four policemen were killed in a surprise attack by Maoist guerrillas on Jhajha railway station in Jamui district on the busy Patna-Howrah mainline section.

Shocked by the attack that had virtually caught them napping, the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) issued fresh orders to increase patrolling, deploy additional forces at railway stations and launch search operations.