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.
Intensifying efforts for the release of the abducted Malkangiri Collector R V Krishna, two Maoist-chosen mediators on Thursday left for Koraput for talks with the rebels even as the Orissa government said it is hopeful of some positive developments soon.
Uncertainty prevailed over the fate of abducted Malkangiri District Collector R V Krishna following fresh demands made by Maoists, which were not acceptable, according to the Naxal-appointed mediators.The hostage crisis got complicated on Wednesday night after Maoists demanded that five other key activists should be freed immediately, apart from top leader Ganti Prasadam. Krishna was abducted by the left-wing ultras on February 16.
The Orissa assembly witnessed pandemonium scenes for the second day on Friday over the abduction of Malkangiri District Collector R V Krishna with the opposition and treasury bench members virtually clashing in the Speaker's podium. The uproar erupted as soon as the House assembled for the day for question hour.
After remaining in captivity for nine days, Malkangiri Collector R V Krishna was released on Thursday by Maoists, an official said, finally bringing to an end the tense hostage crisis in Orissa.
A day after the Orissa government halted anti-Maoist operations to facilitate the early release of abducted Malkangiri Collector R V Krishna and an engineer, the rebels snapped the main road link with the district by felling trees on vast stretches. The main road connecting Maoist-hit Malkangiri district with other parts of Orissa was blocked by felling a large number of trees in mountainous and forested Gobindpalli Ghati area.
Making an appeal for early release of abducted Malkangiri District Collector R V Krishna, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said the government was evaluating all options and monitoring the situation.
Abducted junior engineer Pabitra Majhi was freed on Wednesday by Maoists in Orissa after a seven day ordeal but release of Malkangiri district collector R V Krishna was clouded in uncertainty with the rebels setting a new condition for his release.
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.
Seven days after being abducted by the Maoists, junior engineer Pabitra Majhi was freed in a remote area of Malkangiri district on Wednesday even as there was no clear information on the whereabouts of District Collector R V Krishna.
Conceding eight of the 14 demands of the Maoists on the second day of talks with the rebel-chosen mediators, the Orissa government said it was confident of securing early release of abducted Malkangiri Collector R V Krishna and a junior engineer.
A senior official of Orissa's Maoist-hit Malkangiri district on Wednesday went missing and was suspected to have been abducted by Naxalites when he was going to attend a camp for local development in a remote area, officials said in Bhubaneswar.
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