Maoist hostage crisis: Factions jockey for control, hold up release of hostages

BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: Attempts to secure the release of Italian national Bosusco Paolo and BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka suffered a setback on Friday with competitive bargaining by two Naxal groups holding them captive complicating the Odisha government's efforts to end the crisis.

The Sabyasachi Panda-led group holding Paolo rejected the state government's offer to free four jailed Naxals, including Panda's wife Subashree. In response to demands from both the Panda group as well as the Andhra-Orissa faction holding Hikaka, the government has agreed to release 27 persons, including members of the Naxal-aligned Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh.

Sources said the two Naxal groups are jockeying for legitimacy and control in the Odisha region and this has led to them to up the ante in terms of their demands. While an agreement with Panda appeared on the cards, he has asked for more concessions, perhaps fearing criticism that he was essentially bargaining for the release of his wife.

A weakened Maoist central command with several top leaders either killed or jail, has seen factions like the Andhra-Odisha border committee and the Panda group function almost autonomously. With its area of operations shrinking, Panda accused the government of stage managing the Hikaka kidnap.

The Naveen Patnaik government finds itself in a fix with Panda releasing a audio cassette in which he has threatened to take an "extreme and final call" if his demand of more jailed Naxals being set free is not met by April 10.

While there is a negotiating channel with Panda through intermediaries approved by the Maoist leader, there is no such dialogue with the Andhra-dominated Daya group believed to be behind the abduction of Hikaka, a tribal legislator from Laxmipur. With the two groups putting forward their own demands, a resolution has become more elusive.

The Red rebels responsible for kidnapping Hikaka were yet to communicate their stand while their deadline ends on Saturday evening. With the two groups looking to score points at the expense of one another, BJD leaders point out that the political costs of succumbing to demands need to be balanced with lives of the captives at stake.

Panda alias Sunil, secretary, Odisha State Organizing Committee of CPI (Maoist), accused the government of a 'callous attitude' and not fulfilling Maoists' demands to free Paolo. He alleged that the MLA hostage episode appears to be fallout of a deal between the ruling BJD and the Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh during the Koraput zilla parishad president's elections on March 13.

Asking for a written agreement between the state government and rebel-named mediators, BD Sharma and Dandapani Mohanty, Panda alleged the government was 'disrespecting' the negotiators and had converted the talks into a 'farce'. He said the abductors let go Italian Claudio Colangelo on March 25 but the government continues to ignore Maoists' demands. "Unless the government gives us a signed agreement and clarifies about release of the seven persons we had demanded, we will be forced to take the extreme and final step," he said.
Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Maoist-hostage-crisis-Factions-jockey-for-control-hold-up-release-of-hostages/articleshow/12565110.cms