Chief secretary B K Patnaik said the government is looking into the demands of the
maoists .The chief secretary, however, did not appear to rule out the possibility of release of any Maoist leader to facilitate safe release of Krishna and Majhi.
further adding some other issues could also crop up during the negotiations.
As collector R Vineel Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi spent the fourth day in captivity,While preliminary talks were held with the mediators over phone, preparatory work was being done by senior state officials ahead of the crucial negotiations for securing the safe release of Krishna and Majhi who were abducted from Chitrakonda area of Malkangiri district on Wednesday evening.
The maoists have made some demands for the safe release of the collector and the engineer . The move came after it received a list of names of Maoists lodged in jails of Orissa on sedition charges.
The mediators and social activist Swami Agnivesh, who has been contacted by the state government, have appealed to the Maoists not to cause any bodily harm to the hostages.
Demands By Maoists
With Maoists demanding the release of 700 jailed tribal Naxals
Wanted release of S Srinivasulu, former chief of pro-Maoist Revolutionary Writers Association in Andhra Pradesh and senior member of CPI (Maoist), also release of Padma, wife of a top Maoist leader.
Maoist demanded the halt of anti-Naxal operations i.e. Green hunt across the state .
The rebels also want withdrawal of BSF and scrapping of Pollavaram multi-purpose dam project in Andhra Pradesh as it is expected to submerge vast areas in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district.
Besides, Maoists, through the district administration of Malkangiri, had given some names for their release claiming
that they had no direct involvement in crimes in Orissa.
Government examining the demands
While Orissa government are examining the charges against certain key naxals whose release is expected to facilitate the safe return of the two abducted officials.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the government had already conceded a major demand of the rebels by halting anti-Naxal operations across the state since Thursday while it was open to discuss other demands.
Prof Hargopal had suggested to state Home Secretary U N Behera that it would be easy to negotiate with the abductors if some key persons like Gantiprasad, who faces about 100 cases in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, were released.
Though Maoists have sought release of some 700 jailed tribal ultras, their emphasis appeared to be on setting free a couple of "key persons."
The abduction of the collector and junior engineer from remote Chitrakonda area, a Maoist stronghold bordering Andhra Pradesh, has drawn widespread condemnation with people from all walks of life staging peace rallies in different parts of the state seeking their safe release.
As bail petitions of 13 people with alleged Maoist links were moved in courts in Koraput and Malkangiri.
The bail pleas of Maoist Gantiprasad, who is charged in about 100 cases in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, Padma, wife of a senior Maoist leader, and her associates Mukul Kulditia and Runei Taringi were rejected by a court in Koraput.
Additional District Judge of the Fast Track court in Malkangiri, P K Karna, will hear the bail application of Srinivas Sriramulu on Monday , a most wanted Maoist in Andhra Pradesh arrested in July 2007 from Kalimela area.
The bail plea of Padma was rejected by Sub-divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) in Koraput. Padma is facing charges, including waging war against the state and criminal conspiracy.
Padma was apprehended along with Mukul and Runei when they had visited Koraput in November last year.
Gantiprasad was arrested separately by Orissa police in November, 2010, from Srikakulum in Andhra Pradesh and three others in the same month in Koraput.
A well written article covering the crush of the situation well done
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