The resurgent CPI-ML (People’s War) is making inroads into CPI-ML (Liberation)’s strongholds in Bihar and is locked in an intense ‘‘power struggle” with its ultra-Left rival.

PW’s growing influence in Bhojpur and parts of Patna district has been worrying the ‘‘overground’’ Naxalite outfit, led by Mr Deepankar Bhattacharya, for the region is considered its stronghold. PW cadres have launched several attacks on Liberation counterparts during the past two months.

Ekwari in Bhojpur was known as the Naxalbari of central Bihar when Liberation was underground; it began operating “overground” since 1990. Police killed five of PW squad members in an encounter at Maranpur village last month. The deaths proved PW had already formed armed squads in parts of Bhojpur district. PW retaliated, by blowing up a police station at Pawana, Bhojpur, last week.

PW cadres killed senior Liberation leaders Sheonath Paswan and Subodh Paswan at Jaitipur and torched 47 houses of Liberation supporters at Naubatpur in Patna. They used dynamite to blow up the houses of former Liberation MP, Mr Rameshwar Prasad, and three of his supporters at Bharatpura. Both incidents took place last month.

In the ’70s and ’80s, the Kaimur hills was a strong base of the CPI-ML (Party Unity), which merged with (Andhra Pradesh-based) People’s War Group to form PW and spread its area of activity to Patna, Jehanabad, Bhojpur and Buxar in Bihar and Palamau and Garhwa in Jharkhand.

PW’s recent alliance with the Maoist Communist Centre has added to its fire power. In December, the two outfits decided to work together, and if everything goes well, they might merge in Bihar and Jharkhand, said a PW politburo member Santosh. The Liberation, however, denies PW making “any substantial dent” in Bhojpur.

The outfit’s office secretary, Mr Prabhat Kumar, said PW had inducted some Ranvir Sena and RJD ‘‘recluses”. “Two of the five persons killed in an encounter at Maranpur were accused of killing 22 Dalits at Bathanitola in 1996,” Mr Kumar said.

But sociologist and former Naxalite, Mr Sashibhushan, said the Liberation, after giving up the annihilation line in 1990, “has no solid means to cash in on the anger of the people against exploitation”.