This story is from January 12, 2015

Red faction chief killed in Chatra

The chief of Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a Left-wing extremist group, Guddu Ganjhu, was killed in a Chatra village late on Saturday, police told mediapersons on Sunday.
Red faction chief killed in Chatra
RANCHI: The chief of Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a Left-wing extremist group, Guddu Ganjhu, was killed in a Chatra village late on Saturday, police told mediapersons on Sunday.
Police found the bullet-riddled body of Ganjhu (50), from Birhu village under Simaria police station in Chatra on Sunday morning after which, Chatra SP S K Jha, confirmed the identity of the deceased.
Police suspect one of his aides killed him owing to a power struggle within JPC, which is a breakaway faction of the CPI(Maoist).
According to sources, one of Ganjhu's friends arrived at Birhu on Saturday evening and asked him to join his birthday celebrations at a local roadside hotel.
Ganjhu arrived at the hotel where half a dozen known friends were present. However, things took an ugly turn when gun shots were fired as part of the celebrations. During this time, Guddu Rai alias Guddu Singh (his friend) fired at him, killing him immediately. After the incident he managed to escape on his bike.
Jha said, "He was his trusted friend. The motivation behind the murder is not known at the moment. It seems to be out of a power struggle."
A former CPI(Maoist) cadre, Ganjhu was among the key persons who floated JPC in 2006 and was the key man behind its spread into Hazaribag, Latehar, Palamu, and different parts of Chatra. Police sources said JPC has around 40 armed cadre engaged in levy collection from four districts.

Ganjhu's wife, Rajkumari Devi, is a Chatra-based Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader who contested the 2014 assembly election from Simaria assembly segment.
A tough fight was witnessed between Ganjhu's wife and Ganesh Ganjhu, a well-known leader of Tritirya Prastuti Committee, a breakaway faction of the CPI(Maoist), whom Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) fielded from Simaria seat. Ganesh Ganjhu defeated Ganjhu's wife to become MLA.
TPC and JPC are both rival extremist groups and have been involved in several gang-wars in thr past. TPC wants to eliminate JPC so that it can extend its area of operation and collect more levy.
Police have ruled out involvement of TPC rebels in the murder. "The initial findings suggest he was killed by his own men. No connection of TPC rebels has surfaced till now," said Jha.
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