The dead, identified as Umesh Mali, head of a naxal outfit 'Sastra People's Morcha' (SPM), Umesh Singh Bhokta, a local leader of Lokjanshakti Party and Ranjit Rajjak, were watching a cultural programme near Rajpur Middle School around 2 am, when a group of armed Maoists fired on them, District Superintendent of Police Deo Bihari Sharma said here.

The condition of all the injured, including a police driver, is stated to be critical, he said.
The CPI (Maoist) is involved in a turf war with SPM, the Jharkhand Prastuti Samiti and the Tritiya Prastuti Samiti.