Clash between two rival Maoist factions in Jharkhand claims three lives

Ultras of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) have gunned down three members of the Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a rival faction in Palamu region of Jharkhand. One of the deceased has been identified as the chief Babulal alias Avinash while the other two are members of his outfit. The gun battle between the rival groups lasted for hours. Mathew also mentioned that collection of taxes and extortion money as well as supremacy were the key factors causing rift between the ultra groups. Meanwhile, the bodies of the rebels have been sent to the district hospital for post-mortem. Reportedly, the incident was in retaliation by CPI-M against JPC, who had earlier killed a cadre of the former.