Maoist commander killed, four troopers injured

RANCHI - A Maoist commander was killed in a gun battle with a rival group while a civilian was killed and four security personnel were injured in a bomb blast in Jharkhand, police said Thursday.

Krishna Yadav, a zonal commander of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist, was killed by a rival Maoist group, Jharkhand Prastuti Committee, in Hazaribagh district Thursday.

The incident took place near Kasamtandi village, a jungle area around 130 km from Ranchi.

In another incident, one person was killed and four security personnel were injured when a bomb went off in Palamau district.

The security personnel were trying to defuse the bomb when it exploded near Majholi village, around 190 km from here.

Maoists are active in 18 of the 24 districts of Jharkhand. About 1,450 people have died in Maoist-related violence in the last eight years.