Reuters - Maoist rebels briefly hijacked a train with around 500 passengers in eastern India on Wednesday in a show of strength on the eve of the second stage of India's general election, police and officials said.

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India's Maoist rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of landless labourers and poor farmers, have stepped up attacks in their strongholds in central and eastern India during the general election.

Maoists have taken over trains in past years in a show of strength, often holding them up for several hours before leaving. In 2006, a train was hijacked in Latehar and the 200 people onboard were released unharmed after one night.

Maoist rebel violence marred the first stage of India's election last Thursday when five election officials were killed in a landmine blast in Chhattisgarh state. Eleven police were killed across the central and eastern "red belt".

Thousands have been killed in the Maoist insurgency which began in the late 1960s and now stretches throughout rural areas of eastern, central and southern India.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Maoist violence as India's biggest internal security threat. Some 500 civilians and police were killed in insurgent clashes last year.

In separate attacks, Maoist rebels blew up a railway station in Jharkhand on Tuesday, disrupting train services. They also blasted a health centre and a school building.

Rebels have called an indefinite strike in the region ahead of the second round of polling on Thursday to protest against the killing of some villagers branded as Maoist supporters by police.

Maoists also carried out scattered attacks on Wednesday, shooting dead a truck driver and torched eight trucks and oil tankers in eastern state of Bihar.

India is holding a staggered general election over April and May in which 714 million people are eligible to vote.