Orissa govt asks Maoists to extend deadline in collector abduction case

Source: TOI
BHUBANESWAR: Facing a two-day deadline set by Maoists to meet their demands, Orissa government on Friday appealed to the abductors of Malkangiri district collector R V Krishna to extend the time-frame as it made efforts to negotiate the release of the IAS officer.

"My appeal to the concerned persons is to extend the deadline set for this evening and not to harm the abducted district collector and the junior engineer," chief minister Naveen Patnaik said.

Showing willingness for talks for safe return of Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi, Patnaik said, "We are in the process of trying to establish contact with persons to discuss and negotiate the release."

Soon after Patnaik's appeal, Naxal ideologue VV Rao said he has asked the government to announce by this evening that it would release at least seven persons, who have been jailed in "unreasonable and stray" cases. It would facilitate both extension of the deadline and release of the hostages, he said.

Though the government stopped anti-Maoist operations across the state yesterday, one of the demands of the Naxals, it was yet to receive any response or communication from the rebels, a top official said.

On the other hand, the rebels cut off Malkangiri from the rest of Orissa by felling trees on vast stretches and digging up the main road connecting the district this morning.

Besides obstructing the road in mountainous and forested Gobindpalli Ghati, the ultras put up a large number of posters with seven-point demands, including stoppage of anti-Naxal joint operations, withdrawal of BSF, release of 700 tribal Naxals and scrapping of Polavaram water sharing project.

The state Assembly plunged into turmoil over the issue with opposition Congress and ruling BJD MLAs virtually clashing with each other next to the Speaker's podium. The Congress accused the government of failing to take the House into confidence as it announced the halt of the combing operation

30-year-old Krishna, a 2005 batch IAS officer, and Majhi were abducted by some 50 Maoists during a visit to remote Chitrakonda area for a camp for local development.