Central agencies uneasy with Odisha’s offer to free prisoners

NEW DELHI: Central security agencies are worried over the Odisha government's offer to free 27 prisoners, including eight Maoists, to get an abducted MLA and an Italian national released as they feel it might end up giving a fillip to the Naxals' activities not only in the state but also in surrounding areas.

Central paramilitary forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations have noticed that whenever a state government succumbed to the Naxals' pressure and released prisoners or dropped charges against rebels, the episode was used by the ultras to get more recruits - be it in West Bengal in 2009 or in Odisha in 2011.

It is no secret that West Bengal virtually become a major hunting ground of the Maoists for almost two years after they successfully got 22 of their women cadres released in swap deal by the then state government in 2009. Rebels had in exchange released abducted police officer Atindranath Dutta but the episode emboldened them to launch more violence.

The violent cycle in the state was broken only in November last year when security forces eliminated top Naxal leader and CPI (Maoist) politburo member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji following an intelligence-based operation.

Odisha witnessed the same trend ever since 12 Maoists were allowed to get bail to secure the release of then Malkangiri district collector R Veenel Krishan in 2011. The state government had agreed to fulfill most of the 14 demands of the rebels including withdrawal of cases against top CPI (Maoist) leaders Ganti Prasadam, Padma and Eswari to facilitate their release from jails.

"The episode only turned the Naxal situation from bad to worse with the state becoming a safer hideout for rebels operating in neighbouring Jharkhand and West Bengal," said an officer.

Though the Maoist group which abducted Italian Paolo Bosusco in Odisha on March 14 has so far not accepted the state government's 'offer' and rather hardened its stand on Friday, officials in security agencies monitoring the situation believe that chief minister Naveen Patnaik's soft peddling with the ultras will only worsen the situation.

Without expressing their concerns 'openly', officials here said the Maoists were taking full advantage of the fact that the state succumbed to pressure and it was very easy to get someone released from jail in Odisha through kidnapping.

The home ministry is not involved in the negotiations between the Maoists and the Odisha government as the latter has not sought any help but it is in regular touch with the state officials. Paramilitary forces deployed in Odisha for anti-Naxal operations have, on their part, constantly been providing inputs to state police.

Ministry officials feel that the inability of the Odisha government to take a tough stand against the Naxals in the past has encouraged the rebels to keep abducting prominent people to free their cadres or sympathizers from jails.

Adequate central paramilitary personnel have been stationed in Odisha for long. But the state government has hardly launched any full scale operations against the Maoists leading to the free run of the rebels in many parts of the state.
Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Central-agencies-uneasy-with-Odishas-offer-to-free-prisoners/articleshow/12565182.cms