Five hardcore Maoists, whose release was sought for release of the abducted Malkangiri district collector and an engineer, on Monday moved the Orissa high court for bail after their plea for the same had been rejected by a lower court.
With the hostage crisis getting complicated by the fresh demands made by Maoists, Orissa government and the mediators are likely to take the help of Naxalite leader Ganti Prasadam to secure the release of Malkangiri district collector R V Krishna, official sources said.
The Orissa high court on Wednesday granted bail to top Maoist leader Ganti Prasadam, whose release is among the conditions set by the Naxals for the safe return of abducted Malkangiri District Collector R V Krishna. The court granted him bail on a bond of Rs 20,000 with two sureties.
Twelve Maoists including hardcore rebel leader Sriramalu Srinivasalu were on Tuesday released on bail as talks for safe return of abducted Malkangiri district collector and an engineer appeared to reach a decisive stage after another top Naxal Ganti Prasadam joined the negotiation process.
Maoist-chosen mediators discussed certain key demands of the rebels with hardcore Naxal leader Ganti Prasadam in Bhubaneswar on Monday, as negotiations for the release of the abducted Malkangiri district collector and a junior engineer reached a crucial stage.