Monday, August 1 2005 17:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Khagaria: Heavily armed Maoists blasted a guesthouse and a brick kiln of Pashupat Kumar Paras, a former MLA and younger brother of union minister Ramvilas Paswan, in Bihar's Khagaria district late last night, district magistrate Narainmurthy said.

Narainmurthy told sources in Khagaria that around 60 extremists of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) (Communist Party of India) swooped down on Chatar village under Alauli police station of the district and blew up the guesthouse, which was empty, with explosives.

A large portion of the building collapsed as a result of the blast and there were innumerable cracks all over the structure that was still standing.

The naxalites also blasted the brick kiln owned by Paras and set fire to three tractors parked there after scaring away the labourers, he said.

Some wire and CPI (Maoist) pamphlets claiming responsibility for the blasts were recovered from the spot.

Raids are continuing to apprehend the culprits, he said.