A Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre - Prakash Singh Bhokta (45) and his wife - Premani Devi (30), were beaten to death allegedly by local villagers on January 2, after the Maoist shot dead a villager, identified as Vinod Singh (40), over a land dispute in Palamu District of Jharkhand, reports New Indian Express. “After Vinod Singh was shot dead by Maoist Prakash Singh Bhokta, angry family members and relatives snatched his weapon and beat him to death with batons and other traditional weapons,” said Palamu SP Sanjeev Kumar, adding that when his wife Premani Devi intervened, she was also attacked and killed.
Police arrested two cadres of Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC), a splinter group of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) including a woman along with levy and other documents in Latehar District of Jharkhand on January 2, reports United News of India. The duo was identified as Kamlesh Yadav and Priyanka Devi alias Sushma Devi, wife of TSPC ‘commander’ Rakesh Ganjhu. A sum of INR 24,300 collected as a levy, bank passbook, ATM card, Naxal [Left Wing Extremist, LWE] literature, notebook, branded watch and Nepali Currency have been recovered from their possession.