Bhubaneswar:
One of the two men taken hostage by Naxals in Orissa has been freed.
Junior Engineer Pabitra Majhi was seen on a motorcycle riding near his home town of Malkangiri. Mr Majhi was kidnapped a week ago along with District Collector Vineel Krishna, who is expected home soon, say officials.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, Majhi said that the District Collector is in good health and will be released within 48 hours. He also said he was unaware of where they were kept and were given dal and rice for food. (
Watch: Collector is safe, says freed Orissa Engineer)
The two men were kept at a Naxal camp in the forests along the Andhra-Orissa border till last night, when the mediators between the Naxals and the government announced that a compromise had been reached and that Mr Majhi and Mr Krishna would be released within 48 hours.
This morning, with no sign of either man, there was concern among those involved with the negotiations, including the three mediators headed by Professor G Haragopal
However, the Naxals said that the terrain made it tough for the hostages to be escorted out as quickly as planned.
The terms and conditions of their release include the government freeing senior Naxal leader Ganti Prasad who is in an Orissa jail. He was granted bail by the Orissa High Court today. The government told the court that the charges against Ganti Prasad could not be proven.